Downtime Series
by Sheryl Nantus
Summary: Mulder and Scully explore their relationship during unexpected events in their lives.


The Downtime Series - The Collector's Edition by Sheryl Martin 

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Rating: PG Classification: S Keywords: Mulder/Scully UST. Spoilers: Overall, through the current season. Summary: Mulder and Scully develop their personal relationship while they deal with their demons. 

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Here's a real short short that occurred to me late in the evening... 

All Characters copyright of TenThirteen Productions and Chris Carter. No infringement intended on any part...I like being poor, really... 

Curiosity... by Sheryl Martin 

"Damn!" The broken pencil flew across the room, landing at the top of a pile of unfiled folders. Dana Scully stood up from her desk, searching the immediate area for a replacement. Finding none, she stomped over to the disaster that was Fox Mulder's desk. 

"Got to be a pencil in here somewhere..." She muttered under her breath. The bottom left drawer was the last one she checked. 

"Aha!" Clutching an unopened box of pencils, her gaze caught the glint of metal further back in the drawer. "What the...?" She pulled out a pair of handcuffs, the inside edges lovingly covered in plush red fur. 

"Mulder." Scully sighed. He was such a juvenile...she ran her fingers over the fur, a part of her enjoying the soft feel. She shot a fast glance at the door. He wouldn't be back that soon.. 

Taking the key out of the drawer and placing it on the desktop, she sat down in his chair. Carefully she snapped the cuff around her left wrist, tightening it just enough that the fur lay snug against the skin. 

Dana sat back in the office chair, her eyes closed. Her right hand played with the open cuff, rotating the locked one around her wrist slowly and seductively. Her imagination began to wander... 

"Can I do something for you?" A familiar voice purred close to her ear. Her eyes snapped open as she jerked forward in the chair, her hands slamming down on the top of the desk. She turned to meet Fox's face, inches from her own, his eyes laughing in delight. 

"I was just... ah, looking..." Dana scrambled for the box of pencils. "For some pencils." Holding up the box in her left hand, she saw the empty cuff dangling from her wrist. Fox sat on the edge of the desk, a wide grin on his face. Feeling the heat beginning to rise in her face, Dana reached for the key...that wasn't there. 

"Looking for this, I guess." He held it up, just out of reach. "But you know, they don't really work that well." He leaned forward, placing his hand on her other wrist. "Unless you use the other one." Fox reached for the other cuff. 

"Mulder!" She swung her left hand down by her side, hearing the clank against the chair. "Give me the key." 

"You know, Scully, I never thought you had it in you." He locked eyes with her. "It's a whole new side worth exploring, don't you think?" His eyes twinkled mischeviously. 

"The key, please." She could feel the blush spreading down her neck as she tried to avoid his eyes. 

"So you aren't interested?" A manufactured hurt came into his voice, conflicting with a chuckle. He handed the key to her. 

She hurredly unlocked them, dropping the cuffs back into the drawer and slamming it shut. Getting to her feet, Dana walked back to her desk, clutching the box of pencils tightly. Grabbing her purse she left the office, but stopped just outside the door as it closed behind her. 

"Maybe I am." She whispered before heading for the cafeteria. 

"Maybe you are." Mulder said softly, holding the cuffs in his hand. Smilng to himself, he put them in his pocket. 

************************************************ 

All Characters copyright of TenThirteen Productions and Chris Carter. No infringement intended on any part...I like being poor, really... 

Downtime by Sheryl Martin 

"Sir, I..." Mulder started. 

"Shut up!" Skinner paced around the two agents, his footsteps hard on the plush carpet. "Do you know how much flak I've received over this last case of yours?" 

"I think." He tried to speak. 

"Shut up!" Skinner roared. Standing behind Scully, he took a deep breath. She stood rock-still. It had been a long time since she had been chewed out like this. 

"Sir, Agent Mulder and I..." 

"Did you hear me?" He yelled into her face. "I should transfer you to the secretarial pool!" A muffled snicker came from Mulder. 

"And you." The Assistant Director took a step to the side, standing nose-to-nose with Mulder. "You should be washing cars in the agency garage for the next month!" Dana suppressed a smile. At least the tongue-lashing was being equally divided. Skinner took a step back, his face flushed. 

"Thanks to you two, I now have some major apologising to do. You're both suspended for the next week, without pay." He walked around his desk, sitting back down in his chair. 

"But sir.." Mulder tried again. 

"Agent Mulder." His eyes locked with Fox's. "If you are not out of my sight in five seconds I will transfer you both to the Public Relations Section where you can go to hundreds of schools and lecture youngsters on the aspects of being an FBI agent...once upon a time." Scully took the initiative, pushing him ahead of her out of the office. 

"I think he was a little annoyed." Fox deadpanned as they waited for the elevator. 

"What was your first clue?" 

****************************************************** 

"Well, see you in a week." Scully nodded as Mulder pulled away from the curb. She began to plan her time as she walked into her apartment building, all those little projects she had been putting off... 

Dana lay in the hot bath water, up to her neck in sweet-smelling bubbles. She draped the pale pink washcloth over her eyes, sliding deeper into the foam. And it was only six o'clock, she thought, and I love it. 

The phone range. Reaching for it instinctively, she brought the receiver to her ear, not moving the washcloth or shifting in the tub. 

"Scully?" 

"It can't have been a week yet, Mulder." She murmured, stretching out a leg. 

"I just saw a news clip about a sighting in New Jersey." 

"We are off-duty. We are suspended." Dana lifted a handful of water, letting it trickle between her fingers by the cel phone. "We are in a bathtub filled with bubbles not thinking of work." 

"Would we like some company?" He asked softly. 

"Goodbye, Mulder. Call me in a week." Closing the phone up, she replaced it on the ground by the tub. Her mind wandered off as the steam drifted up from the water. What did he say? 

The phone rang again. "Mulder, I said..." 

"Dana?" 

"Oh, Melissa." She stretched out her other leg. "What's up?" 

"There's a psychic fair tomorrow, and I was wondering if you wanted to go after work." 

"Well, I can go anytime. I've been suspended." 

Melissa's voice lowered. "What happened?" 

"Oh, we just stepped on some toes again. Mulder just doesn't know when to stop." 

"He doesn't know when to start, in my opinion. I'll meet you at your place at ten tomorrow, then." 

"Sure. Sounds like a plan." Dana hung up, slipping down into the hot water. 

************************************************************************************ 

The convention centre was filled with booths; all seeking to take money from the crowd wandering through the aisles. Wearing a white blouse, long vest and jeans, Dana followed behind Melissa, who was entranced by the sights. 

"Look, there's the newest books on tarot reading..." Like a kid in a candy store, she smiled. Melissa had always been open to this stuff...Dana paused by a table, reading the hand-lettered sign. 

"Good day." The young woman seated behind the table passed her a pamphlet. "Love potions. Guaranteed to work." 

Melissa appeared at her side. "Cool." 

"It's not real." Dana lifted one of the mickey-sized bottles, staring at the the blood-red liquid inside. "Probably just flavoured water." 

"Why don't you try it out?" Melissa prompted, a playful smile on her face. "A few drops in Fox's coffee?" 

"In my what?" 

Dana whirled around to find herself face-to-face with Mulder, dressed in a football jersey and jeans, wearing a sly grin. Replacing her bottle quickly on the table, she tried to sound calm. 

What are you doing her?" She politely asked. 

"I always drop by these things. You never know..." His eyes read the labels. "...what you're going to find. Or who." His eyes met hers, inquiring. 

"Melissa invited me." Dana hastily offered. Beside them, Melissa quietly paid the vendor, stroking her crystal necklace with a smile. 

"So, mind if I walk with you?" 

"No problem at all." Melissa answered, ignoring Dana's face. The three of them walked up and down the aisles, stopping at the odd booth. 

"Look at this." She held up a man's necklace for Dana and Fox to see. Hanging down from the slender chain was a rectangular piece of metal, slightly larger than the regular dog tag, a small figure engraved on the surface. 

"The Fool. My favourite Tarot card." Fox smiled at Melissa, making the hairs rise on the back of Dana's neck. She tugged at his sleeve, breaking his gaze. 

"We have to be leaving." She stared at Melissa. "I have things to do at home." 

"Just let me pick this up and I'll walk you to your car. " Pulling out his wallet, Mulder counted out the money. 

"Here you go." Melissa passed the paper bag to Dana. "Just in case." Dana looked inside, a smile appearing on her face. 

"You are persistent. No wonder Mom's got grey hair." She tucked the bag in her upper left vest pocket, the bulge barely noticeable thanks to the cut of the material. 

"Hey, I just got a feeling you'll need it soon. And that's definitely Fox's necklace. It had his aura all around it." Dana sighed. Sometimes Melissa's New Age beliefs tugged at her limits of tolerance, and those had expanded a lot lately... 

Mulder rejoined them, the necklace hanging down on his Washington Redskins jersey. "So, what do you think?" 

"I like it." Melissa chirped. 

"Skinner's going to love it. Now you're clearly labelled." 

"Well, I'm going to catch my bus from here. See you later." Melissa waved at the pair as she trotted off down the street. 

"Why do I feel like I've been set up?" Fox mulled out loud as he fell into step beside Dana. 

"Don't look at me. You decided to come to this thing." She protested. As they rounded the corner a sudden movement in the alleyway caught Mulder's eye. 

"Scully." They stopped. In the alley a tall rough-looking man was holding another man up against the brick wall, a pistol to his face. The mugger turned towards them, loosing his hold on his victim. 

Scully's hand flew to her holster, tucked discreetly under her long vest as Mulder reached for his own, taking a step forward. She moved up to stand beside him. 

"FBI! Hold it!" Fox yelled. 

The leather-jacketed man sneered, then pointed his revolver at Mulder and fired. 

Fox felt the impact; felt the blood begin to flow down his front as the world began to tilt and waver. Then her heard Dana yell, and he turned his head. 

She lay beside him, the dark stain spreading across her vest. he struggled to reach her as he saw the gunman and his intended victim dash in opposite directions. 

"Mulder." She sat up, putting a hand on his chest and taking a deep breath. "You've been shot." Her hands flew down to the gaping chest wound...that wasn't there. Instead a deep gouge on his chest lay open to the air, the metal square on his necklace dented and pressed into his skin. 

"What do you mean? You've been shot." Fox leaned over, pulling her vest open to stare at the bloody white blouse...that was' t ripped at all. Reaching into her vest pocket, he gingerly withdrew the glass shards of the potion bottle. A soft whistle escaped his lips as they stared at each other in disbelief. 

*************************************************************************** 

"...so the bullet must have been majorly under-powered to start with. Maybe a dud. Hey!" Mulder flinched as Scully dabbed at the cut with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball. "That hurts." 

"It'd hurt more if you hadn't had that medallion stop it." She tossed the ball into the kitchen garbage pail. Fox shifted unhappily, perched atop her counter as she began to tape a gauze pad over it. "Keep an eye on it for a few days --probably it'll be alright. " Her fingers lightly skimmed his bare chest as she spoke. She stepped back, regaining her professional composure. 

"And your blouse and vest are ruined." He stared at the deep red stain over the left side of her blouse...longer than he should have. Blinking suddenly, he broke the spell. "Good thing that bottle took the force of the bullet. The liquid absorbed the last bits of acceleration. " He looked at the misshapen slug on the counter beside him. "We were very,very, lucky today." 

"Mulder, I don't believe in luck." Dana walked over to the other side of the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. 

"So what do you call it?" Tugging his jersey back over his head, Fox came up beside her. Receiving no answer, he grinned, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Right." 

"You want some coffee?" 

"Sure." Walking around the kitchen, he lay his elbows on the table, facing her head-on. "And maybe a bath afterwards." 

"You, " She waved a spoon at him. "Are incorrigible." 

"And you." His eyes twinkled. "Are damn lucky. Must be the Irish in you." 

"And we are still suspended." Scully retorted. "So after tonight, I don't want to hear from you for another five days." 

"How about if I bring my own bubble bath?" He ducked the incoming dishcloth, chuckling mischievously. 

**********************************************************Just Another Night... by Sheryl Martin 

"Come on Scully; it's strawberry." Mulder ducked another dish towel, still in the kitchen. "Lots of bubbles..." The wet sponge hit him directly in the face, sliding down his football jersey to the floor in a soggy splash. 

"You are a pervert!" Laughing in spite of herself, Dana retrieved the sponge. "How about a compromise -- movies and popcorn" She offered a dry towel to the dripping Fox. "I still haven't forgiven you for getting us suspended for this week." 

"Hey, is it my fault Skinner's not that liberal a thinker?" He wiped the water off his face quickly. "I'll go get the necessities -- microwave popcorn, right?" 

"Yes." She yelled after his retreating form "And no tricks!" The door slammed shut behind him as he headed out of her building. Shaking her head, Scully grabbed up her wallet on the way to the video store. 

Fox dug in his jean pocket for the keys, precariously balancing the wine, chips, pretzels, and three boxes of popcorn, Swinging the door open, he walked into the living room. The two movies atop the table caught his eye. 

"Four Wedding and A Funeral? The Shadow? Scully..." His voice took on a plaintive wail. "No Stallone? No Segal?" He took a few steps down the hallway, heading towards the back of the apartment. "Hello? Hello?" 

Poking his head into the bedroom, Fox waited for an answer. Hearing none, he took the three steps towards her bed, a sly grin on his face. One hand went into his pocket, withdrawing a set of fur-trimmed handcuffs. He had caught Scully with them on at his desk a few days ago, and this was the perfect opportunity to have some fun... Putting a hand on the left headboard post, he gave it a good shake, noting the sturdiness of the polished wood. Reaching out with one cuff, he expertly snapped it around the post. Listening cautiously for her return, Fox experimentally put the other end around his right wrist, setting the soft red fur snugly against his skin. A strong jerk didn't even mark the wood. Grinning wickedly, he reached for his keys, imagining the scenarios he could tease her with, knowing full well she would just throw more stuff at him... where was the key? His stomach dropped. It was on his key ring -- in the front room by the groceries. 

"Mulder?" He went pale as her voice echoed down the hall. Looking frantically around the room, he slid to one side of the bed, his right hand wrapped around the post over his head. Lying on the floor face down, Fox held his breath as he heard her come into the room, the soft tapping of her steps halting at the foot of the bed. Closing his eyes, he began to pray... 

"Mulder..." Thanks a lot, God. "What the hell are you doing?" She stared down at him, not knowing to laugh or scream. Rolling over onto his back, he tried to smile calmly. 

"I was just... it's not what it looks like..." 

"Those are the ones from your desk, aren't they?" She put a hand to her mouth, beginning to giggle. "You look rather... uncomfortable." The phone rang. 

"Hello...oh, hi Jackie. Can I call you tomorrow? Mulder's handcuffed himself to my bed." She held the receiver up, letting him hear the riotous laughter. "No, he's fully dressed... I might have a camera around here... right, I'll talk to you tomorrow." Putting the phone down, Scully sat on the edge of the bed. "She says hello." 

"The key's on my ring in the front hall." He muttered, his face the same colour as his Redskins jersey. Chuckling lightly, she went out of the room. 

Picking up the handful of keys, Dana paused for a minute, trying to think of a suitable price to extract from him for this stunt. The doorbell rang. Putting the keys in her pocket, she opened the door. "Mom..." 

Fox heard Margaret Scully's voice in the living room and shook his head. This was not going anything like he had planned. Suddenly he heard footsteps approaching the room. Two sets... 

"Ah, I remember it being in the bedroom." Dana watched as her mother opened the closet, searching for a garment bag left a few weeks ago. Her eyes met Fox's, crouched at the side of her bed just out of sight. He waved frantically for the keys. Dana tossed them to him, turning back quickly as Mrs. Scully emerged from the closet. 

"There it is. Now just let me make a fast call to Melissa, and I'll be on my way." Dana watched in horror as she walked around the bed -- to sit down by the phone. Picking it up, she began to dial. 

A hand touched her foot from under the bed. She looked down, stifling a giggle. Fox lay on his stomach on the floor, sighing at the viciousness of chance. 

He heard the two women leave the bedroom, and a few minutes later the front door slammed shut. Slithering out from under the bed, he came face-to-face with a hysterical Dana, tears beginning to run down her face as she laughed uncontrollably. Fox joined in, wiping at his eyes. 

******************************************************* 

"This is a silly movie, Scully. No one could do that." Fox lay on the couch, enjoying the second bottle of wine. Sitting on the floor just below him, Dana shook her head. 

"The ability to cloud men's minds...you don't date much, do you?" She deftly avoided the light slap, reaching for her half-full glass. "Besides, if you could only cloud Skinner's mind when he starts yelling, that's be great." She laid her head back, resting it on his stomach. Her unfocused hazel eyes stared into his. "I'm very glad we don't have to go into work tomorrow." Lurching to her feet, she went to change movies. "Time for something a little lighter." Fox sighed, resigning himself to his fate. 

Leaning forward, he poured the last of the third bottle into both glasses. Maybe it was the wine, maybe it was the company -- but this movie wasn't all that bad. His gaze dropped to the back of her head, to the soft inviting red curls. Taking a deep breath, he gingerly stretched out a hand to gently stroke the back of her neck. 

"Hmm..." Dana mumbled, her eyes almost closed. "Strange premise...this guy's in love with her for months and just can't bring himself to speak up." She arched her back, taking a last sip of wine. The glass rattled as she put it back down on the floor. "That's nice..." She drifted off to sleep, her face resting comfortably on his chest. 

Fox tenderly ran his fingers up and down her skin, twirling the red hair around his fingers every now and then. Leaning forward he lightly dropped a kiss into her hair. "Yep, a really strange premise..." He pulled the afghan off the back of the couch, wrapping it around her and up onto his lap. Turning the TV off, Fox laid back, closing his eyes. Maybe this being suspended wasn't so bad after all... 

************************** 

Yes folks, the cuffs are back...by popular demand. BTW, I do not own a set myself... be warned, this is not really a paranormal story... at least, I don't think so... 

All Characters copyright of TenThirteen Productions and Chris Carter. No infringement intended on any part...I like being poor, really... 

Just Another Day... by Sheryl Martin 

Dana Scully yawned, feeling the pounding behind her eyelids. God, what a headache... a hangover, she reminded herself. What had... oh, right. She and Mulder had polished off three bottles of wine while watching movies. And she couldn't remember the end of "Four Weddings and A Funeral"... and her pillow was moving... 

Prying her eyes open, she gazed up into Fox's sleeping face. She had been sitting on the floor, with Mulder lying on the couch... suddenly she realised that somehow she had crawled up on top of him, snuggling into his worn old jean shirt in her drunken sleep. And he wasn't awake yet... thank god... Gingerly she raised her head, trying to figure out how to extract herself from this one... if she swung her legs off him quickly, and rolled at the same time... she cursed. Mulder had securely wrapped his arms around her, tangling them both up in the afghan he had pulled off from the back of the couch. This was going to be more difficult than acing her medical entry test. And her head hurt so much. Damn him for bringing over so much wine...she drifted back into sleep, her eyes closing again. 

Fox Mulder mumbled once, opening his eyes. Suddenly he noticed that Scully was a lot closer than she was the night before... and he wasn't complaining. His stomach rumbled as he tried to figure out how she had gotten up here, and what to do now. If he woke her up, she would scream blue murder and stomp off in a rage, blaming him for her being in this position. If she woke up, she would at least hopefully not kill him... now, if he could get out from under her without waking her up... 

He began to slide his legs out from under her, touching a discarded chip bag on the floor with a deafening crunch. A fast look at her face showed that she was still asleep. Stopping for a second, he gazed down at the peaceful face, wondering what he had ever done to deserve a friend like this -- who didn't try to change him and accept his past. He was tempted to kiss her, to take advantage of the situation, but that would have probably been like signing his death warrant, the way her temper worked. But he was sorely tempted... With a silent curse for forbidden wishes, he slowly sat up, balancing her head on his chest as he unwrapped them both from the Navaho coloured afghan. Her red hair fell against his face, caressing his lips with their softness, evoking a sigh from Fox. He had to get away from her quickly... 

Gently slipping out from under her, he tenderly laid her down on the couch, placing the pillow he had tossed on the floor last night under her head. Shaking his head, he headed for the shower and some aspirin. 

She opened her eyes, hearing the hot water hiss from the bathroom. He had gone... and she had no idea how he had gotten out from under her without waking her up. Stumbling towards her bedroom, Scully made a silent promise to never, never drink that much ever again... the third time this year. Falling onto the soft mattress, she curled up in the comforter, her hands wrapped around the third pillow she kept to one side. Never again... but it was nice to wake up that way... a soft smile crossed her face. 

Mulder stood in the shower, the hot water drowning him in steam and warmth. Three bottles... and he had been totally embarrassed beforehand, accidentally handcuffing himself to the bed in a thwarted prank on Scully. The way his luck was going, he'd be lucky if he didn't get hit by a truck on the way out... Drying himself quickly, he pulled on his jean shirt and jeans. 

"Scully?" He whispered, seeing that the couch was empty. Taking a few steps down the hallway, he poked his head inside the bedroom. She was there, rolled up and sound asleep. Good thing they were suspended for the week -- he would have hated to try to explain this one to Skinner. The phone rang. 

Snatching it up quickly from the bed table, Fox silently prayed that it hadn't woken her up. 

"Hello?" 

"Mulder?" The surprise in Jackie's voice was obvious. "You know that it's six o'clock -- in the morning?" 

"Yes, I do." He kept his voice low. "What is it?" 

"Well, I was supposed to have lunch with Dana, and I was calling to cancel. Some sort of special show I have to go play bodyguard on... so you going to tell me what you're doing there? And how you got out of the cuffs?" A chuckle came over the wire. "I am slightly intrigued by this..." 

"I'll call you later. Just go back and play with your mouse." He groaned, feeling the thumping in his head increase. 

"No problem, Mulder. Just be careful what you play with -- you just might get burned." With a laugh, she hung up. He sighed, cursing the day he had ever met her. A sudden wave of dizziness came over him. Mulder sat on the edge of the bed, holding his head in his hands. Too much wine... maybe he should just lie down here for a second... grabbing a fistful of blanket, he passed out, snoring lightly. 

Scully licked her lips, feeling the dryness in her throat. She needed some water. Opening her eyes, she tried to focus on the ceiling, raising her left hand to block the sunlight...but it wouldn't lift. Rolling to her left, to her horror she saw that damned pair of fur-trimmed handcuffs that Fox had brought over; the pair that had been attached to her bedpost after he had accidentally locked himself to it. It lay securely around her left wrist... and locked around another wrist -- she lifted the blanket to see the snoring body next to her. This was getting annoying... The last time she remembered, those cuffs had been on the floor, left there from the aforementioned stunt that had gone bad when her mother had shown up...but how did they get up here? Tugging lightly on the metal, she had no idea of where the key was. 

"Mulder." He moaned. Well, at least she wasn't the only one to feel lousy. His lips parted, a soft sigh escaping. Temptation... Dana shook her head, trying to clear away the thoughts running through her mind. Taking his shoulder, she shook him forcefully. 

"Hmm?" 

"Where is the key?" She demanded, lifting their hands to illustrate the problem. 

"On the... ah... I don't remember." He blushed, from the hangover or from embarrassment, she couldn't tell. "We can just use the regular keys from our own cuffs..." His eyes rolled up as he laid his head back on the pillow, closing them again. "Later, Scully, later. Oh, Jackie called -- lunch is off." 

Dana pursed her lips, trying to think of what she was going to say to her about this. Somehow the truth was beginning to sound a bit too silly, even for the X Files... Lying back down again, she groaned. Later sounded like a good idea. 

Rolling to her right, she suddenly found him embracing her as her cuffed wrist dragged his left arm over her. He murmured as he nuzzled the back of her neck, half-asleep. Dana smiled, wishing she was awake enough to enjoy this. 

The alarm clock went off at seven, scaring the hell out of Mulder. Reaching up, he slammed the button down, noticing that he was pulling another hand along with his own. Putting his head back down, he savoured the smell of her red hair, curling around her protectively as he went back to sleep. Never again would he ever let anyone hurt her... 

Scully heard the alarm go off; felt Mulder lift her hand to help shut it off. But she was just too tired to move, too tired to object to his closeness... which was quite comforting, now that she thought about it. His arms embraced her tightly, holding her safe in his arms. Dana felt his face close against the back of her neck; felt the single soft kiss before he started to snore lightly. Maybe these damn cuffs weren't so bad after all... smiling, she went back to sleep, tucking her hands around his. 

******************************************* 

BTW, "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You." belongs to Sting... you know the routine... 

Just Another Day... Part Two by Sheryl Martin 

Dana Scully snuggled into the pillow, feeling Jack Willis's arms around her... suddenly she remembered that Jack was dead. A shudder ran through her body at the memory of what had happened... the arms holding her tightened as she shook, pulling her closer to him. Lifting her left hand to wipe away the tears, she saw the handcuffs, and started to giggle. Right, she was cuffed to Mulder, after a bad night of drinking... Closing her eyes again, she listened to the dull pounding in her head. What a night... what a morning... what an afternoon? The time on the clock read 2:08 p.m. -- they had been asleep for hours! The radio was playing at a low volume, and she relaxed as she listened, feeling the light breathing against the back of her neck. Suddenly Dana realised that she was hearing the music in stereo... 

"If I ever lose my faith in you..." Fox Mulder mumbled into her hair. His voice was thick and raspy. "There'd be nothing left for me to do.." A smile came across her face at this display of his talents... and she didn't want to think too much about anything else. She listened to him hum along with the song, holding her close. She sighed, a part of her regretting that she was wearing her sweat suit and that he was fully dressed, a part of her swearing that she was never, never, never going to be able to live this down... and she wouldn't let him, either. 

"Mulder..." Turning over, she looked at his sleeping face. With his left hand cuffed to her own left wrist, their mobility was sorely restricted. "Mulder..." She lightly touched his face, almost regretting that she had to wake him up. "Come on, let's rise and shine. I'm hungry, and we have to get out of these." 

"..." She bent lower, trying to hear him. Suddenly he rolled to his left, dragging her along. Now she was holding him, her left hand firmly trapped under his head as he put his hand under his face. This was not getting any better... 

"Mulder." Putting that tone into her voice that she reserved for her students at the Academy, she tried again. "Mulder!" 

He blinked once, the fog rising from his hazel eyes. Turning his head to the right, he stared at her. 

"What are you doing?" A grin came over his face. "Scully, are you trying to take advantage of me?" 

"Right. That's it." Throwing the blanket off, she got out of bed, dragging him along. Digging in her purse in the living room, she quickly located her own handcuff key, expertly unlocking them. Rubbing her wrist, she tossed them at him. "You better be gone when I get out of the shower..." Turning her back on him, she slammed the door behind her. Holding his head, Fox sat on the sofa. 

The smell of fresh muffins rushed into the bathroom when she opened the door much later. Gingerly stepping out, she wrapped the white bathrobe around her tightly. 

Mulder smiled, gesturing to the fully-set table. "Oat bran muffins, fresh orange juice. You want anything else?" He wiped his hands on his jean shirt. "I couldn't find your apron." 

Scully stood there, shocked. "You... you actually cooked?" 

"Hey, I'm not bad, once you get me started." Rolling her eyes, she sat at the table. Tentatively she nibbled at the still-warm muffin, pleasantly surprised. He sat beside her, drowning his muffin half in butter. "I'm... ah... I'm sorry for that wisecrack. I didn't mean to sound so..." He stumbled over the apology. "Uh... next time, fruit juice instead of wine?" 

Dana smiled. "Next time, no handcuffs." She waved a knife at him. "You lock those things up again in your desk. I don't want to ever see them again..." 

"Ever?" He raised an eyebrow, looking at her slyly. 

"The movies are overdue." She avoided his eyes. "How about you do up the dishes, I'll get dressed, and we'll hit the mall. Day's half gone anyway... and we still have another five days left on suspension." 

"Wait a minute... I cook breakfast, I do the dishes... what's wrong with this picture?" Mulder got to his feet, gathering the plates. "And what's your part in this deal?" 

"I don't tell anyone you can sing." She said softly, walking into the bedroom and closing the door behind her. Blushing fiercely, he attacked the kitchen mess. 

************************************ 

Curiosity/Downtime Day 3 -- In The Mall... by Sheryl Martin 

Fox Mulder stared at the milling crowds. "You do this for fun..." 

"No, not always." Dana Scully waved the videos at him. "Come on, these are late enough already." Obediently he trotted after her... until they passed the sports shop. 

"Mulder..." She frowned as she paid the clerk for the movies. "Mulder?" Looking around, she sighed. It was like having a kid -- like she would know. Browsing through the racks, she stopped to read the labels. Maybe tonight... 

"Red Shoe Diaries? Scully, if that's what you like I can do a lot better than that..." She replaced the box quickly, refusing to look at him. 

"I thought I'd lost you." Wishful thinking. 

"Nope." He grinned. "Just had to check out the newest batch of sport ties." 

"Sport. Ties." She sighed. "Have you ever heard of the Lost Boys?" 

"Yep. Great vampire movie." 

"I was referring to Peter Pan." 

"You want to play Wendy... Scully? Scully?" He ran after her, trying to catch up. "Hey, come on..." 

*************************** 

"How can you drink that?" Fox gestured at the cappuccino. "It'll keep you up all night." 

"Since we slept in until after two in the afternoon, I'm not that worried." She sipped the coffee. They had nabbed a nice seat in the indoor cafe, staring at the shoppers. Propping her head on her chin, she watched as a mother raced by, two toddlers in tow. 

"Wishing?" Dana snapped back into reality, turning to look at him. 

"No." She shook her head, the red hair catching the last beams of sunlight coming in from the skylight. "Actually, not at all. That sort of life seems so..." 

"Boring?" 

"Ordinary." Shrugging, she drained her mug. "Let's go." Suddenly a picture leapt into her mind, shocking in its clearness. 

Fox watched her grab the table, her knuckles white. Reaching over, he put his hand on hers, afraid to speak for a moment. "Scully?" Licking his lips, he leaned close to her unfocused eyes. "Dana?" 

She came back with a jolt, her eyes flashing around the mall. "Mulder..." Getting to her feet, she reached around to her pistol, hidden under the over-sized sweater. "Are you armed?" He leaned back, feeling the weapon at his back under the jean shirt. 

"Always." She glared at him. "Yes, but what..." 

She scanned the crowd, leading him into the crush. "Scully." He grabbed her arm, spinning her around to look at him "What's going on?" 

"Ah..." This would be interesting. "I think some one here is going to commit a robbery." 

"You think." A smile twitched on his face. "Like, a premonition?" 

"No." Yanking her arm free, she returned to her search. "Like a good guess." 

"Woman's intuition?" Stomping on his feet, she turned to the left to see more people. 

The young teenager looked around quickly, seeking a likely target. There. He wiped his nose, putting a hand on the snub-nosed revolver in his waistband under his jersey. Just be fast, just be quick. He followed the older man out to the bank machine, whistling softly. 

He tapped in his PIN number, oblivious to his watcher. Taking the wad of cash, the businessman tucked it into his wallet. Suddenly the painful pressure of a barrel being pressed into his spine made itself felt. 

"The money." The shaky voice demanded. 

Dana skidded around the corner, pulling her pistol free. "FBI! Freeze!" 

The kid stared for a second at her, mouth open. His victim dove to one side, keenly aware of his precarious position. 

"Drop it!" Fox suddenly appeared behind the youngster, barely winded from the sprint. The pistol clattered on the floor. 

**************** 

"But we..." She started. 

"Look, you saved my life." The businessman looked at Fox. "I have to give you something." Tucking his hand inside his dark blue suit, he dug in a pocket. 

"But we can't." Dana protested, watching her partner shrug. 

"Here. And if you don't take it, I'll call your office and complain." Shaking their hands, he walked away. She looked down at the crumpled bills in her hand. 

"A what?" 

"A thousand." Dana tried to keep the tremble out of her voice. "A thousand dollars." She swallowed. "I think I need a drink." 

"No, first we go shopping." Fox laughed. "Scully, you can get intuit anytime with me..." She decided to let him live, she was feeling so good... 

************************ 

"We should have saved some." Dana balanced the boxes, trying to get the keys out. 

"For what?" 

"A rainy day." She fell through the door, dropping the new clothes in a heap on the couch. 

"Scully, it's always wet where we are." He chuckled, darting just out of reach. Sitting on the sofa, he flipped open a box, proudly displaying a tie to her. 

"What do you think?" 

"I think there must be aliens. And they all design your wardrobe." She pulled out a handful of CD's, adding them to her rack with glee. Fox unbuttoned his jean shirt, tossing it on the floor beside the sofa as he tugged on a new football jersey. 

"Pizza?" He reached for the phone. 

"Chinese. And order all the best stuff." 

****************** 

Closing her eyes, Dana let the szechuan shrimp melt her mouth. The spread on her table would have fed her for a month, but with Mulder here, it might just be enough. Reaching out, she speared an eggroll. 

"Hey, that's mine." He protested, a smear of sauce already on his new shirt front. 

"My idea, my eggroll." Surrendering, Fox reached for the beer. "Another?" 

"I didn't think we'd be having a drink so soon again after last night." 

He shrugged, popping the top off a can and passing it to her. "That was last night. Come on, loosen up. We don't have to go in tomorrow; we don't have to go to bed early..." He choked on a noodle. 

"What movies did you get?" Duck and cover... 

"Ah... Roswell, Lawnmower Man, and Jurassic Park." 

"Why do I see a trend here..." 

****************************** 

"Booga-booga." They watched the raptor tear into the room. "Scully, where are you going?" 

"To get changed." He grinned. "Shut up or I'll feed you to that dino." She returned in a few minutes, a thick terrycloth robe wrapped around her mens pyjamas. Sitting down on the floor, she wondered why he always got the couch. 

"So about this sight you have..." 

"It's nothing more than just good observation skills." She leaned back, resting her head on his lap. Deja vu. 

"Good skills." Fox smiled. "I love it when you try to justify everything with facts." He playfully patted her on the head. "You are such a cynic." 

"Live with it." She grabbed his hand, holding it tightly. Their eyes locked for a second, then he brought her hand to his lips, kissing her fingers lightly. 

"Oh, I am. I am." 

She paused, feeling her heart skip a beat. "Ah, you can have the couch. I'm not cruel enough to throw you out at this time of night." 

"Define cruel." He chuckled. "Good night, Scully." 

She got to her feet, leaving him lying on the sofa. "'Night Mulder." The bedroom door closed quietly behind her. 

She tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable. Running a hand through her hair, Dana raised her head to fluff the pillow, turning to her left. She reached over, pulling the other pillow down beside her to hold it close. Curling around it, she faintly caught the musky smell of him, left over from last night. A soft smile came to her lips as she fell asleep. 

Fox twisted to his right, cursing under his breath. The afghan was warm and soft, everything was fine... his hand dropped down to the floor. His fingers wrapped itself around the jean shirt, pulling it up to his chest. Inhaling deeply, he could still smell her scent where she had laid against him earlier. Clutching it to his face, he drifted off. 

****************************** Downtime -- Day 4 -- The Visit by Sheryl Martin 

Dana Scully blinked, not sure where the music was coming from. Not her clock radio, she had turned that off just a few minutes ago. Rubbing her eyes, she pulled her robe on, not bothering to tie it up. She opened the bedroom door, hearing her new Sting CD going at full blast on the stereo. 

"When we dance..." Fox Mulder swirled around her small kitchen, carefully juggling three eggs as he sung softly along. Putting a hand to her mouth, she shook her head. Leaning on the doorframe, she watched him silently. 

"I'm going to love you night and day; I'm going to try in every way..." He turned to see her, the eggs in midair. Putting out a hand quickly, she caught the third egg barely in time. 

"Mulder..." She giggled. He shyly smiled, avoiding her eyes. 

"Ah... I assume you like French toast." He retreated back to the kitchen, busying himself at the stove. 

Turning down the volume, she chuckled to herself. The table had already been set, and he expertly flipped the bread in the frying pan as she watched. 

"So why do you eat so much junk food if you can cook like this?" Sliding the two pieces onto her plate, he joined her at the table. 

"Who cooks for one? Besides..." He grabbed the syrup, pouring an outrageous amount on the toast. "You could use a few more pounds." 

"What!" She choked on the first piece. "What did you say?" 

"I think you're a bit too thin..." Fox suddenly stopped. "Am I in trouble?" 

"Possibly." She smiled. "I'll have to think it over." 

"So what's up for today?" 

She paused, looking down at the plate. "I'd like to go up and visit the grave." 

"No problem. I'll be out of the shower in fifteen..." 

"You want to come along?" Her hazel eyes met his, questioning. 

"Sure." He tossed the dishtowel at her. "You got kitchen duty, we'll swing by my place on the way out so I can get changed." He grinned. "Hey, it's either that or end up watching soap operas all day." 

"Alright." Dana took a deep breath. "I could use the company..." 

****************************** 

The weather didn't help any, being cold and windy. Fox drove in silence, tugging at his tie every now and then. He had changed into one of his usual suits, more out of respect than routine. Beside him, Dana, dressed in a light grey jacket and skirt, stared out the window. He glanced over at her, biting his lip. Pulling over onto the gravel shoulder, he cut the engine. 

"Are you sure you're up to this?" He asked softly. 

"No." A thin whisper came from her. "But I have to go." 

Reaching over, he took her hand, covering it with his. "Just don't forget that I'm here, okay?" 

"Mulder, I couldn't forget you even if I tried." She weakly smiled. "Now just get this car back on the road." 

************************** 

They stood at the headstone quietly. Fox took a few steps back, letting her stand there in privacy. Tucking his hands deep into his trench coat pockets, he stared up at the threatening dark sky, then back to the grave. The new growth had just started to cover it, and his eyes flicked up to where the space for the second headstone had stood -- Dana's own. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and prayed in thanks that he wasn't making this trip alone... 

She stared at the engraved stone, reading it over and over again, as if it would bring her father back to her. The tears wouldn't come; she just couldn't cry anymore. A bitter cutting wind swept through the yard, biting through her trench coat and onto her skin, raising goose bumps. Turning on her heel, she headed for the car. Turning the heat on full blast, she waited for Fox to join her. 

He got in, noting her silence. There was no expression at all on her face, nothing... Putting the car into drive, he headed back home. The entire way he kept looking at her, looking for signs that she was okay, one way or the other. But there wasn't anything... 

************************* 

Mulder hung both coats up in the closet, watching her head for the kitchen. Dana hadn't said a thing the entire way back, not even a comment on his driving. Now she just stood there in the small excuse for a kitchen, making tea... the crash startled him. One hand flew to his holster in reflex. 

"What the..." He went over, staring at the broken mug on the floor. She stood there, staring down at it. Her hands were shaking. "I guess that's mine." 

Closing her eyes, Dana just stood there. A lone tear trickled down her face. "It's not fair..." She whispered. 

Nodding, he reached out, putting his hands on her shoulders. She punched him in the chest, screaming. 

"I'm a doctor! I should have been able to see the signs! I should have been able to save him!" The light punches fell on him, but he didn't retreat, just let her pummel him as she cried. Finally she broke down into a set of sobs, the sign for him to pull her close. She wrapped her arms around him, crying into his shirt. "Why?" Dana cried, child-like. "It's not fair that I miss him so much..." 

"Hush..." He murmured into her hair; one hand rubbing her back in rhythmic circles. "It's okay to be mad..." He felt her start to relax; to slump against him in exhaustion. "I wish I could take the pain away." Fox said, more to himself to her. 

"Look, you go get changed back into your pyjamas and I'll get something warm going for a late lunch... or an early dinner, depending on how you want to look at it." 

She raised a tear-streaked face, a soft grin trying to make its way up. "The way you eat, it could be both." He grinned back, gripping the back of her neck playfully. 

"No respect. I get no respect from women at all." Releasing her, he pushed her towards the bedroom. "See you in a while." 

Dana rubbed the last of the makeup from her face, frowning as she noted the mascara stains on her cream-coloured blouse. Wonderful. Well, she could always buy a new one... the pyjamas were warm and comforting, just loose enough for her to feel at ease. Tying the robe, she sighed. She was supposed to be the strong one in the family, the doctor who everyone else came to... 

The soup and sandwiches hit the spot, given that the heavens had just opened up and a torrential downpour was now drowning the city. Taking a chair, she sipped the tomato soup quietly. 

"Put milk in. Water makes it too thin." Fox smiled uncertainly. "You feeling better?" 

"Ah.... I think so." She began to blush, feeling the heat rise. "Thanks... I just..." 

He took a large bite of his sandwich, trying to ignore her discomfort. "Been there, done that, got the tshirt... so what do you want to do tonight?" 

"What time is it?" 

"It's already after six..." 

"What?" Her hazel eyes darted to the kitchen clock. "How did it get to be that late?" 

"Well, let's see..." Holding up a hand, Fox began to count off the items on his fingers. "We got up at ten, left at eleven-thirty, drove to my place, dropped off the movies, drove up there, drove back... that makes it six thirty-five..." He grinned. "Lose track of time when you don't have to account for it?" 

"And whose fault is it that we got suspended?" Her eyes laughed. "Who got Skinner very pissed off at us?" 

"Hey, I can always call Jackie and have her sweet-talk him into letting us come back early..." 

She laughed. "And what do you think she'd hold over you for that favour? Besides, it's already Thursday. No use in going in for only one day." Finishing her bowl, she shook her head. "I'll take all the downtime I can get, since when we get back there'll probably be ten folders on the desk with great stories about EBEs and UFOs..." 

"You think so?" The eagerness in his eyes made her choke. "Really?" 

"Shut up. Just shut up and put the dishes in the sink. I'll do them up later." Reaching for the tv control, she punched the on button. "Maybe there's a program here on dealing with obsessed FBI partners..." 

******************************* 

Fox had changed back into his old jean shirt and sweatpants, taking his usual position on the couch. For a second he thought about actually taking over a shelf in the bathroom, then banished the idea to neither regions. Dana came over, pushing his feet off. 

"Hey!" 

"Don't hog the couch." Dropping down beside him, she stared at the television set. "What's on?" 

"Well, we have a NOVA special on crop circles, NBA game, a sitcom and a science show on giant snakes." He grinned. "I like it." 

"Right." She reached for the converter, firmly in his grasp. "My vote's for the sitcom..." 

"Wrong." He held it above his head, back over the edge of the couch. "I think the NBA game's of more intellectual value." 

"Oh, right..." Leaning forward, she began to stretch for the controller, uneasily balancing herself over his body. "Mulder, I hate basketball..." Suddenly her arm gave out, dropping her onto his chest with a huff as the air rushed out of him. Smiling, he wrapped his arms around her. 

"The sitcom it is then... only if you stay here." He looked down, a soft smile touching his lips. 

Dana felt her breath catch, blinking wildly as she fell into his eyes. "I... ah..." She turned her head away, resting it on his chest as she stared at the tv set. "I'm not sitting on the floor again." 

"Deal." He punched in the channel, placing the converter on the edge of the sofa. Sliding his feet up onto the cushions, he looked down at the tousled red mop resting on his chest. In other circumstances... he sighed, wishing for things to be different. But if they were, then she wouldn't even know him... she giggled at the joke, making him laugh as well. His eyes went to the set, enjoying the show. Well, he was taping the NBA game anyway... 

Her soft breathing told him she was sound asleep. A good thing too -- his neck was getting sore. And what she needed right now was a solid block of sleep. Fox rubbed his chin, noting the thin stubble. He had expected this at some point; expected her to break down in some part of the grief cycle. It wasn't that he thought she was weak... not Dana Scully... but it wasn't human not to be mad and feel helpless when these things happened. Hell, he was still dealing with Sam's disappearance. At least he had been around to help her, when he had had no one to lean on for comfort. Gently dislodging her from his chest, he picked her up in his arms. Carrying her quietly towards the bedroom, he lightly kissed her forehead. Grief can kill you faster than any bullet can... he sighed. 

Placing her down on the pillows, he turned and put on the clock radio. He knew that she liked to hear low music -- he had put her onto that to help with the nightmares. Turning away, he jumped when a hand caught onto the back of his shirt. 

"Mulder..." A sleepy voice murmured. "Can you stay for a little bit?" 

Smiling, he nodded. Climbing up beside her, he cradled her in his arms, feeling her snuggle into his chest, into the same spot she had vacated only a few minutes before. Reaching over to turn off the light, he listened to the song. 

"If this world is wearing thin, and you're thinking of escape. I'll go anywhere with you -- just wrap me up in chains..." He dropped a kiss into her red hair. "But if you try to go it alone, don't think I'll understand.." 

"Stay...stay with me." He felt her mumble into his shirt quietly, her fingers taking a firm grip on the denim. "Stay with me..." Fox listened to the words, feeling a shadow drift across them both. 

"You better hope and pray that you wake one day in your own world... Ôcause when you sleep at night they don't hear your cries in your own world... only time will tell if you can break the spell back in your own world..." She began to shake, urging him to pull her closer to him. Stroking her hair gently, he closed his eyes. Her breathing became regular and steady as they both drifted off... 

*************************** Downtime Day 5--The Talk (Friday) by Sheryl Martin 

Fox Mulder felt the light touches on his back, the gentle fingers tracing his spine. Slowly they drew lazy circles on his skin, just touching him - just enough to spark his skin with a totally enjoyable sensation. Sighing softly, he bit on his lower lip. This was so good... The soft touching went from the back of his neck down to his waist; swirling over his shoulder blades and darting to his ribs every now and then. The tickling feeling soon changed to a deeper, sensual urge up and down his skin as the fingers continued their tracings. He groaned, unable to open his eyes or to do anything but let it wash over him. 

Dana Scully watched his face, quietly enjoying his response. She had just woken up, finding him sprawled out beside her on his stomach -- and if he liked back rubs as much as she did... She saw him groan, his face contorted in pleasure she thought she'd never see on her partner. Her right hand continued its trip over his back, sliding easily under the jean shirt that now hung loosely on him. Propping her head up with her other hand, she smiled as she watched him chew on his lip, trying to deny himself the upcoming rush. Dana frowned, trying to remember what used to send her over the top... ah, right. 

He still couldn't move, frozen as the fingers travelled around his back, stopping every now and then to tease him. This was ridiculous, a part of him yelled, this is only a back rub. There is nothing erotic about... the thought was swept away in a sudden wave of pleasure that almost made him cry out. Hold it Fox -- this is Dana next to you. You know, Scully? His inner voice commented, enough to give him pause for a second. Then he felt the soft lips graze the back of his neck, setting him off like a rocket... 

She pulled back, smoothing the shirt down over his skin. Rolling away, she headed to the kitchen, grabbing her robe on the way out. 

"Scully..." Fox gasped, opening his eyes. God, that was almost as good as...Where was she? Rolling over onto his back, he listened to the noises coming from the kitchen. This was becoming very strange... 

She slammed the mugs down on the counter. What was she doing? Rubbing her forehead, Dana tried to sort out the different feeling rushing through her head. Having Mulder here was nice and comfortable; especially when she was in a bad state like last night -- but what was this leading to? 

"Scully?" He tentatively poked his head around the corner. "Hello?" God, she looked annoyed. What had he done already? 

"Ah... morning." She poured the coffee out into the mugs, avoiding his eyes. 

"Scully..." Fox took a step closer, putting a finger under her chin to pull her face up to his own. "You want to talk?" 

She turned away, fighting him. Stomping down the hall, she shut the bedroom door. "Dana?" He stood in the kitchen, feeling very awkward and very foolish. "Come on, I think we should talk..." 

"I think you should go home." Her muffled voice came through the wood. 

He turned to go, then caught himself. "No. I'm not going." Putting a hand on the doorknob, he swung the door open. 

Dana sat on the bed, wrapped up in the blankets they had so recently shed. "I thought I told you to go." She said icily. 

"No, no." He advanced on her. "You and I have to talk, and now is a good a time as any." Kneeling on the bed, Fox stared at her. "So talk to me." He spread his hands. "What's going on?" 

"I just..." She pulled the blankets tighter around her. "I just think it'd be better for both of us if you go now." 

"Both of us or just you?" Stretching out a hand, he lightly ran his fingers over her neck, resting his hand on her shoulder. "Are you annoyed at me being here?" 

"No, it's just that..." She turned away, uncertain what to say. He moved closer, slowly unwrapping the defences of blankets around her. 

"It was only a back rub, you know." He joked. "I liked it. A lot." He rubbed his nose, trying to think. "So what are you afraid of?" 

"Me. You. This." A hand waved over the bed. "Our friendship." Dana sighed. "I don't want to lose all that because we just get silly one night." 

"Ah... and you're assuming that I don't have any self-control?" She looked at him, trying to hold back a giggle. "I am so offended, Scully." Pulling her to him, Fox rolled onto his back, firmly anchoring Dana atop him in a pile of tangled blankets. Taken by surprise, she didn't resist. 

"Now, for example, I could give you a friendly back rub..." She felt his hand snake up through the blankets, under the robe, and under her pyjamas top. An involuntary gasp escaped her as he slowly began to slide his right hand up and down, deftly avoiding any other areas except her back and shoulders. "And it's nothing more than what you would give your best friend." 

She chuckled, looking up at his face. "Now who's trying to justify everything with facts?" He grinned back, continuing his gentle touching. 

"Seriously." Fox looked into her hazel eyes. "Don't you think that the X-Files are, at best, defined as extraordinary?" 

"At their best, worst and otherwise... yes." 

"And if we deal with those cases, then we ourselves can be classified as extraordinary?" 

"Among other things... okay." A shoulder muscle twitched under his fingers. He lowered his hand, resting it on her bare skin. 

"Then why can't we have an extraordinary relationship?" She looked at him, blinking rapidly. 

"Ah... define this for me." Dana shrugged, urging him to continue. 

"Much more than just working acquaintances, much more than just friends, but not that close." His fingers danced down her spine. 

"That sounds simpler than it is, Mulder." She closed her eyes, resting her face on his chest again. "Walking the thin edge." 

"Like this is something new for us?" He laughed. "Dana, I'd hate to lose your friendship over something like this. But you have to admit, it is nice." Running a single finger over her shoulder, he smiled as she sighed, arching back. 

"At this point, I'd agree to almost anything..." She murmured, feeling the tender caresses raising goose bumps on her skin. 

"Don't worry Scully, I wouldn't dream of taking advantage of you." Fox whispered into her ear. He quietly bent over, kissing the soft hairs at the base of her neck. Her shiver reverberated through his body, making him happy. He rocked her slowly inside the tangled blankets. 

"But when the time comes, I'll be waiting..." He said softly to himself, watching her slip back to sleep. Turning to look at the clock, he saw that it was only nine am -- plenty of time for a fast nap... 

This was not getting any better, Dana thought, catching herself nuzzling into his chest. For a friendship, this was very much getting stranger by the minute. Opening her eyes, she groaned, seeing that it was after eleven. How could they be sleeping so much with each other? And actually sleeping... But, she reminded herself, they always said that the best sex was in the mind. And to tell the truth, she would rather cuddle with someone she cared about and trusted rather than a fast one-night stand with a stranger. The phone rang. 

"Hello?" 

"Dana?" Jackie St. George put her feet up on the desk. "Did I wake you up?" 

"Not really." Fox murmured softly as he listened to them. 

"Is that Mulder?" She sighed, waiting for her to ask it. "Don't tell me he's there again..." 

"He never really left." 

"Say what?" Jackie yelped. "He's been there since Tuesday?" Her voice dropped. "So, like, is there something I should know?" 

"Nothing's going on." Dana smiled as his fingers slowly ran though her hair. "At least, not what you're thinking." 

"Hey, don't make me out to be the one with the handcuffs." A puzzled tone came into her voice. "So you two have spent three days and nights together and you're not..." 

"No." 

Jackie bashed the phone receiver against the desk three times, hard enough to shock Fox awake. "Hello? Hello? Are you nuts, woman?" 

"Tell me, would you? With Mulder?" Dana held the phone up so he could listen as well. 

She paused. "He's listening, isn't he?" 

"No." Fox grinned as she held a hand over his mouth. 

"Yah, right." Jackie waited. "He's still there?" 

"No, he's not." 

"I don't believe you." 

"Trust me. So would you?" 

"Only if you gave him a lobotomy -- then I'd roll him in a minute." She chuckled. "Talk to you two later." 

Giggling, Dana hung up. "Think she's serious?" 

"I never know with that woman." He sighed. "I guess we should get up and make something of the day." 

"It's a thought. Did we end up resolving anything?" She started to untangle them both from the blankets. 

"I think we decided that we like being with each other." Leaning forward, Fox grabbed her around the waist, tossing her back onto the bed. "And I get the bathroom first." Jumping free, he left her behind, shaking her head. 

********************** 

Scully had made up some omelets this time, opting to pretend it was still morning. Mulder put the phone down, his face grim as he sat at the table. He had put his football jersey back on, rubbing at the stain with a washcloth earlier. 

"What's wrong?" 

"My father called." He drained the glass of orange juice. "Wants me to go see my mother." 

"We can go tomorrow." Fox stared at her. 

"You serious? Scully, you don't know my father." 

"I know what he thought you did, trading Samantha for me." She reached over, taking his hand. "Did you ever explain it to him?" 

"No." He pulled away, retreating. "He just knows I gave away my sister for my partner." 

"And your mother?" 

"She knows only what he told her." Closing his eyes, he leaned back in the chair. "I didn't know what to say." 

"We'll go up tomorrow." Getting up from her seat, she moved to stand behind him, leaning over to hug him. "It'll be alright." 

"I don't know anymore, Scully... I just don't know..." He sighed, the sound coming from the bottom of his soul. "I don't know..." 

Pulling him up from the chair, she held him tightly, feeling the tension in his arms. Fox wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. 

"Tomorrow. But let's do something else today." Dana said softly. "How about a trip to the museum?" 

"Yah..." He cleared his throat. "That sounds good." 

************** 

Mulder stood in front of the T-Rex skeleton. "I remember it being taller." Scully chuckled, pulling him along. "Hey, I wanted to see it move..." 

They wandered through the exhibits; stopping to wonder at some displays, to laugh at some other, to argue over the space program and to stare in silence at the historical recreations. Finally they made their way back to the mall, stopping again at the video store. 

"J.F.K., Buckaroo Banzai, Max Headroom..." 

"The Client, Forrest Gump, The Lion King..." 

"How about all six?" He laughed, seeing the dismay in her face. 

**************** 

Dana yawned, lifting her head to look at Fox. They had again ended atop each other on the sofa -- she made a mental note to buy a longer couch if this went on much longer. His hand rested comfortably on his hip; holding her close. She felt his heart beating against her chest, the rhythmic sound lulling her to sleep. This was so odd... but it felt right, and if she ever had to explain it, she probably couldn't. 

"Orson Welles was brainwashed." 

"Mulder, even you can't believe that." 

"Hey, it's as good as any other theory." Rolling out from under her, he went into the kitchen. "Want some cocoa?" 

"Oh, that sounds great." She yawned again. "Just bring it to my room -- I'm calling it a night." 

"And at the best part... when he breaks into the alien plant." 

"I'll somehow survive." She headed for the bedroom, tossing her robe on the floor by the couch. 

Crawling under the comforter, Dana picked up a medical journal, flipping through to the newest AIDS research. She just had to catch up on her reading. Fox came through, balancing two steaming mugs. Placing one on the table beside her, he went around to the other side of the bed. 

"Excuse me, but what are you doing?" 

He froze. "Ah... getting into bed?" 

"Did I invite you? I don't remember part of our agreement being automatic consent to have you this close..." She tried not to smile. 

"So how do I get an invitation?" Fox had nightmares of trying to fit himself on that couch again... 

"You ask me." 

"Hmm... let's see... Agent Scully, I would like to request the honour of your company in my general area for an unspecified amount of time, for purely friendly reasons." 

"And the paperwork?" 

"I'll do that tomorrow... come on, your couch isn't that comfortable." He looked at her with large, pleading eyes. Laughing, she nodded. Fox curled up on the left side, facing away from her as he sipped the hot drink and started in on a thick psychology book he had brought over. 

Tossing the magazine aside a half-hour later, Dana turned out the light. Turning to her left, she hit Fox, who was turning to his right. 

"Hey!" He rubbed his cheek. "No punching!" 

"Then keep out of my way." 

"Oh yeah?" He grabbed her wrists. "You forget who's stronger here..." 

"I think you have." Swiftly she pinned him, his wrists down at his sides in an iron grip. 

"No, I haven't." Laughing, he pulled his head up, licking her nose. 

"No fair." She let go, only to be caught in his arms again. Rolling to his right, Fox closed his eyes, keeping a tight hold on her. 

"Tomorrow, we go see your father." She reminded him. 

"Right." He sighed. "Thanks. Good night, Scully." 

"Good night, Mulder." 

************************************* Downtime Day 6-- The Visit V.2 (Saturday) by Sheryl Martin 

She was just barely conscious, enough to feel his heartbeat under her head and to feel his arms twitch around her as he mumbled. Dana Scully opened her eyes suddenly, hearing the soft sob. 

Fox Mulder was crying, the tears running down his face as he slept. One hand tightened around her pyjamas top, clutching it in his fist as he whimpered. Reaching up, Dana lightly touched his face. 

"Mulder..." His eyes shot open, scared and unfocused. His body jerked as he came back to himself, staring down at her. "Mulder." 

Her fingers traced the teardrops down his face, wiping them away. Moving closer, she gently kissed his cheek, pulling him to her. Holding him tightly, Dana moved up closer, putting her mouth near his ear as she ran her hand through his hair. "It's alright. It was only a dream." She whispered. 

"Yah... I guess..." His voice was cracked and weak, child-like in its pain. 

"Shush." She murmured, feeling his body start to relax. "It's alright..." His breathing became slow and steady as he drifted back to sleep, the spell broken. Slowly rocking him back and forth, Dana dreaded the day they had to face in a few hours. Lifting her head, she stared at his face. His lips were slightly parted, giving him a helpless look that she knew drove half the women in the Bureau crazy. And which half did she fall into... 

Turning away, she felt him curl around her, gripping her protectively in his arms. The soft breathing on the back of her neck sent a shiver down her spine, compounded by the light kiss he placed there as she went back to sleep. 

Fox lay there, quietly listening to the soft music playing on the radio. She was still asleep, tucked inside his space. Bending down, he rested his face in her auburn hair, enjoying the soft strands as they ran over his lips and chin. She sighed, shifting beside him. A hand reached over, pulling his left hand to her face where she pressed it to her cheek, nuzzling it slowly. He chuckled. When she wasn't trying to argue her way out of it, Dana Scully was just a regular woman... Tucking his hand under her face, he looked over at the clock. Time to get up. 

"Scully?" He said softly, trying not to shock her awake. Rolling onto her back, she stretched, cat-like, then curled up back into his chest. "Scully?" 

"Hmm?" The muffled sound came from under him. "Mulder... it can't be time to get up yet." 

"Ah... it is." Slipping a hand under her top, he started to rub her back the same way she had rubbed his the day before... a grin spread across his face at the memory. 

"Don't..." Her voice trailed off as his gentle fingers travelled up and down her spine. Dana's right hand slowly crawled up under his own jean shirt, running along his shoulder blades. 

He shuddered at her touch. Dammit, she was much better than he was at this... Lifting his head, he looked at the clock again. It was getting late... 

"Scully? I don't like the idea of rubbus interruptus, but if we don't get going..." She looked at him, a trace of a smile on her face. 

"If you ever use that word again I will report you to Oxford for destroying the English language." Sighing, she pulled away, getting to her feet. "And for that, you get to make breakfast..." 

************************ 

They ate in silence, each thinking of the trip that lay ahead. Scully had put on the grey jacket and skirt she had worn earlier to visit her father's grave; Mulder the same suit, given that he had come back to her apartment straight from the graveyard. He sat there quietly, playing with a piece of toast. 

"So who do we go see first?" She asked. 

"We go see my mother. Every Sunday Dad comes over to check on the house; see if there's any repairs that need to be done." Glancing at his watch, he sighed. "Better go now. We'll have time to talk before he gets there." Getting to his feet, he put his hands on the polished wood, bracing himself against the table. His eyes closed as his head fell onto his chest. 

Dana came up beside him, watching. His arms trembled as he leaned on the table, pushing himself to stay standing. A few seconds later his eyes snapped open as he stood up straight. 

"Let's go." 

**************************** 

They climbed the stone steps to the house slowly, Fox hesitating every now and then. Dana tucked her arm inside his, trying to give her strength to him. Getting to the front door, he rapped loudly at the wooden frame. The screen door opened, showing his mother. A hand flew to her mouth in surprise and shock. 

"Fox!" Throwing it open, she embraced him warmly. He leaned into her arms, and for a second Dana saw a lost child returning home to be admonished for staying out late again. 

"Is Dad..." He whispered softly. 

"No, not today." She pulled away, staring at him. "He decided not to come." Suddenly she realised that there was another person there. "Oh, I'm sorry." 

"Mom, this is Dana Scully." He paused. "She's my partner." 

Dana tentatively extended her hand. Mrs. Mulder shook it lightly, then motioned them both inside. Her eyes never left Dana as they walked through the house to the kitchen. 

"Oh, I'll just get some tea going..." 

"Mom, I'll do it. You just sit down for once." Fox dropped his coat on the back of the chair. She sat down across the table from Dana, her fingers twisting a dishtowel into knots. 

"Here we go." He placed a tray with three mugs, the teapot, milk and sugar in front of them. Seating himself, he looked down at the table. 

"Mom. I came to talk about Samantha..." 

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "I thought you might be here for that." She looked at Dana. "I assume you're the partner he saved..." 

"Mrs. Mulder, you have to understand that if I had known that it was supposedly his sister..." She flinched under her stern gaze. 

"Supposedly? Fox..." Her eyes whipped back to him. "Explain this to me." 

"It wasn't her. It was a... someone who had been changed to look like her, to sound like her. They wanted to get to me through her." 

"How can you say that? She knew so much, all the things Sam would know..." Her voice trailed off to a whisper. "Did you know she wasn't Sam when you did this?" 

He couldn't look at her. "No." 

"You didn't know -- and you traded your sister for this woman? When you thought she still was your sister?" 

"Yes." The words hit Dana's ears like a bullet. The pain in her heart almost made her cry out. 

"After all these years... you never thought of asking us if you should have done this." Her growl filled the air. "You never thought about us. How selfish a thing to do..." Reaching over, she slapped Fox across the face. Dana gripped the edge of the table, watching. 

He licked his lips, tasting the blood. Getting to his feet, he took the coat from the chair and laid it across his arm. 

"Goodbye, Mom. I just wanted to explain..." Turning away, he left. Dana stared at her for a minute, then left as well in silence. 

He was leaning on the car, sobbing into his hands as she approached. Pulling his hands away, she saw that the lip had swollen up; the blood smeared over his cheeks from the crying. 

"I tried... I really wanted to try..." He said softly. She nodded, pulling him down to her shoulder. He rested there for a minute, his face pressed to hers as the tears came. 

"Let's get going. I'll drive." Fox nodded, looking at her. Pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, he shyly dabbed at the bloodstains on her cheek, a sad smile playing on his lips. Taking his hand, she held it tightly. 

*************************** 

Dana put the drink on the table in front of him, alongside the ice bag for his lip. 

"Scully, I don't want..." 

"Shut up. That lip's not going to go down any faster if you ignore it." She watched his tongue race over it, the pain obvious to them both. "And don't play with it, either." Bringing her own drink to her mouth, she took a sip of the Scotch, letting it play over her throat. 

"Mulder, did they ever..." 

"I don't want to talk about it." He took a mouthful of Scotch, letting it burn the open wound. The ice pack lay on the table, melting. 

"Look..." She leaned over. "I'm a doctor, remember? I know what abuse looks like, mental or physical. And you've been beating yourself senseless for years over this... and I just want to know if that abuse extended to the physical..." 

"Please don't ask..." He pleaded. "Not now..." Closing his eyes, he sat back in the chair. The thin trickle of water from the ice became a puddle atop the wood as she watched him. She wanted to ask him the other question; the one that had haunted her ever since the trade, but she couldn't. Because he just might give her the answer she wanted to hear... 

He got to his feet, draining the glass. Undoing his tie, he tossed it over the chair, making his way to the couch. Collapsing on the cushions, he closed his eyes. 

Dana wiped up the water, tossing the dishrag into the sink. Finishing her own drink, she poured out two more shots, placing the glass on the coffee table within his reach. Sitting down on the chair beside him, she let her own tears flow in silence, clenching her eyes tightly against the scenes that replayed themselves in her mind over and over. 

"Dana..." She opened her eyes suddenly. Fox stared into her face, pained. "Dana, I never wanted to hurt you..." He choked out, the tears running down his face. 

"You didn't." She pulled him close, feeling the fear in his touch. "Mulder, I know you would never hurt me. I just wish I could protect you from all the others..." 

"That makes two of us." He murmured. Pulling back, he licked the cut, now closed. "I want to go to bed. I want to just be quiet and hold you close and not think about this anymore. I don't want to talk, I don't want to think, I just want to be with you and safe." He looked at her, the apprehension obvious in his face. 

"May I?" He whispered. She nodded, letting him pull her to her feet. 

******************************** 

Disentangling herself from his arms, Scully tucked the blanket around him, sliding off the bed. Heading for the main room, she tugged at her sweatshirt, noticing the dried blood where his lip had opened up again as he held her. 

Taking down the package of noodles, she went about making lasagna. A fast glimpse at the clock told her it was already six thirty; plenty of time to cook up dinner. Her drink lay atop the coffee table, untouched. She picked it up, taking a sip as she cooked. 

"How could she..." Dana spoke out loud. To hit her own son like that; to... but a small voice reminded her of the chasm they both faced when dealing with their families; of the things they could never share. And would her own mother be so forgiving if she had done the same thing? Sighing, she reached for the Scotch. 

******************** 

"Mulder..." She brushed away the hair from his face. "Dinner's ready... you really should eat." On her fourth drink, so should she; her conscience commented. 

Dana stared at the lip. The swelling had gone down enough for it to almost look normal again -- no thanks to his refusal to put the ice on it. Putting a finger out, she lightly traced the lines of his mouth, running over the wound. His hand shot up, grabbing her own. Fox's eyes slowly opened, focusing in on her face. Putting her hand to his mouth, he slowly kissed her palm, never looking away from her eyes. His other hand went around the back of her neck, pulling her down to him. 

She looked into his hazel eyes, torn between what she wanted to do and what she needed to do. And the Scotch did not help any... Smiling, he made the decision for her. Tenderly kissing her cheek, he pulled her back atop him, holding her tightly. 

"Walking a thin line, Mulder." Dana said thickly, her face pressed into his shoulder. "We're walking a thin line..." 

"Hey, I have self-control..." Her eyes blazed at this. 

"Oh, and I don't?" Sitting up, she saw him laughing. 

"Well, Scully, if you weren't such a nymphomaniac..." She belted him with the pillow, pushing him down into the mattress. 

"That's it. You die now..." Her hands swiftly flew to his sides, tickling him. 

"Oh, no... no, Scully, don't..." Fox tried to roll away, pinned by Dana straddling him as she continued. His own hands went to her waist, retaliating. 

They wrestled for a few minutes, each tossing the other down on the bed as they jockeyed for an advantage. His white shirttail flopped around his waist, having worked free from his pants during the nap, giving her something to grab onto to help her toss him around. In contrast, he could easily get a fistful of the loose sweatsuit she was wearing, giving him ample leverage as he rolled back and forth. 

"Uncle! Uncle!" She gasped, throwing her hands up in surrender. He grinned, sitting atop her back as he pressed her into the bed. "Alright, you win." 

Sliding down, he caught his breath, his hands still wrapped around her waist. They both laid there, breathless. Fox put his mouth to her ear, hearing his heart pounding in his chest. 

"Next time I won't let go that easily." He threatened. She laughed, tossing her hair back over his face. 

"Next time I'll..." She didn't finish the thought. "Dinner is still waiting. And it's probably cold." 

******************************** 

"You know, they do love me." Fox said softly, looking down at his plate. Dana nodded. "It's just that sometimes..." He shrugged. "It doesn't matter now." 

"It does. It does matter." She took his empty plate away, placing it in the sink. The near-empty bottle of Scotch sat on the counter. He nodded at her gesture, moving his glass closer for a refill. 

"I was a difficult kid to start with. And after Sam..." He paced the room, glass in hand. "I just didn't know when to stop asking questions." 

"And this is supposed to be something new?" Dana joked. She went to the stereo, turning the radio on. "Mulder, nothing you do or ever did would ever warrant that type of abuse. Trust me on this." He stopped by the window, looking out onto the street. 

"Don't you think I know that? Hell, I read all the books at school. But it's different when it's your own family..." Putting the glass down on the table, he went to her. "Let's dance." 

"What?" She took a step back. 

"Dance. You and I." He smiled uncertainly. "I promise I won't step on your feet. I just feel like it." 

"Mulder, everytime you feel like something I end up getting in trouble or danger." She giggled. 

"So try it again." He stepped up, wrapping his arms around her waist as they listened to the radio. "Live dangerously, Scully." 

"...love, I don't like to see so much pain... so much wasted and this moment keeps slipping away... I get so tired of working so hard for our survival... I look to the time with you to keep me awake and alive..." The music swirled around them. Dana closed her eyes, letting him guide her around the floor, her head resting on his shoulder. 

"...in your eyes... the light the heat... in your eyes... I am complete..." He pulled her face up, staring into her hazel eyes as they slowly moved in time with the music. "...in your eyes... the resolution of all the fruitless searches..." Kissing her forehead, he hugged her tightly. 

"I think there's an NBA game on tonight." 

"I think you're pushing your luck, Mulder." 

************************* 

Downtime Day 7 -- Last Chance (Sunday) by Sheryl Martin 

He was leaning over her, the sick leer on his face ripping into her heart as she strained at the cold steel. Pfaster smiled, his eyes telling her what was going to happen... then he changed -- Duane Barry screamed at her, his mind racing as he spoke about what was going to happen... 

Dana Scully fought her way awake, fists flailing in the darkness. Gasping for air, she realised that she was being held down by someone... 

"Scully? Hey, Scully..." Fox Mulder whispered into her ear, his cheek throbbing where her punch had landed. Holding her wrists tightly, he met her face, sweaty and wet from the nightmare. "Scully... wake up, please." 

"God... Mulder..." He let her go; her hands flying to her face to wipe it clean. "Ah... did I hit you?" In the dim moonlight she could see that his lip had opened up again. He nodded, a soft smile in the darkness. 

"Not exactly the way I like to be woken up by you. The backrub's better." He pulled her close, settling her face into his chest as she slowly relaxed. "Want to talk about it?" 

"Barry, Pfaster... they were all there. They were coming for me..." She swallowed, feeling the last twinges of fear. "And no one was going to save me." Closing her eyes, she clenched her teeth. "They always leave me... all the men I love, they always leave me..." 

Licking his lips, Fox buried his face in her hair. "Who left you?" 

"Jack... my dad... you..." She choked on the last word. "Mulder, I didn't mean..." 

"Yes, you did." He felt her shake. "You still hold me responsible for your abduction." 

"No, I don't." Pushing away, she sat up. "You had nothing to do with that. I got into that situation on my own. We are partners, and that responsibility is mine. We take the same risks every day in the department..." 

Tucking a pillow under his shoulders, he shook his head. "You can rationalise that out, but you just said that we all deserted you. Your father died... and I wasn't there to save you." Fox leaned forward. "Dana, it's not a sin to acknowledge that you're upset with some people. It's not." She turned away, tucking her arms around herself as she knelt on the bed. "You still blame your father for dying. And I wish... I wish I had been there for you. I would have been if I had been able to. Do you still trust me?" 

She turned back, looking down at the blankets. "I do. I really do. Otherwise, I wouldn't still be in the section. It was just a dream..." Lying back down, she curled up away from him. 

"Nice try..." He turned her over, staring at her. "I'm not going to analyse you to death, but you've got a hole in your soul. Men you care about let you get hurt, and whether or not you consciously believe they did it purposely or not, your heart still aches. It's not so bad... if you realise it you can work through it." Fox's voice dropped to a whisper. "I've tried to reason it out myself... and I still can't think of how I could have gotten here any faster to stop him. But the feelings are still there... and right or wrong we still have them." 

"Mulder, I trust you more than any man I've ever known. But it just gets so hard sometimes to believe..." 

"In me?" 

"In myself." She whispered, feeling the fear dig at her. "To believe in Dana Scully." 

Fox reached over, embracing her as the shakes hit. She lay there, letting his warmth surround her, banishing the trembles. Why did he have to be so right? Why... but then, this was Fox Mulder... she commented to herself. Chewing on her cheek, she ventured to ask the question that had cropped up in her mind earlier that day. 

"Mulder?" 

"Hmm?" His tongue played with the cut lip, sponging away the blood. 

"Why haven't you... ah... I mean." Taking a deep breath, she plunged ahead. "Why haven't you made a real pass at me? I can tell you're ... interested." Her hand traced his hip. "And I've been drunk, sober, upset and just regular for the past week. So what..." Dana cut herself off, cursing silently. 

"The frailty of man..." He chuckled. "I was kinda hoping you wouldn't notice. Much." His hand went to her face, turning it up towards him. "We agreed to run with this extra closeness because it felt right... I like it like this." His palm rested against her cheek, holding it tenderly. "Scully, I don't want to have a wild fling with you then have us both reasoning it away as being drunk, carried away, anything else than what it is." He swallowed. "When we finally climb into this bed seriously I want you to have no regrets; no fears. I want you to be certain this is what you want; that you want me... no guilt, no fear, no apprehension. I don't know if I'm ready myself. But someday..." 

She reached up, putting her fingers on his lips. "Someday, Mulder." Lifting herself up on her elbows, she stared at his face. "That lip looks sore." 

"Coming from a professional, I bow to your superior judgment." He chuckled. "It hurts..." 

Her lips grazed his forehead; his eyelids; his cheek, lightly caressing his skin. He sighed, feeling her soft breath on his face. Resting her head on her hand, Dana smiled. "Maybe someday it won't hurt." 

"Someday, Scully. Someday..." His arms snaked around her, his face digging into her hair as he closed his eyes. Smiling, she drifted back to sleep. 

************************ 

The clock read 11:21... a.m. She looked at it, sighing as she realised that it was their last morning. Tomorrow they had to go back to work, back to the uncertainly and adventure... Turning back over, she looked at his sleeping face. It had that boyish look -- so free of the fear and pain she had watched him go through. This week had been so nice... a smile crept across her face. Time for a bit of deja vu, Fox Mulder. 

He mumbled into the pillow, feeling her light touch as her fingers ran over his back again, sending electric shocks through his nerve endings. Fox went to turn over, suddenly finding that he couldn't... Opening his eyes, he saw with dismay the handcuffs he had left in his trench coat pocket -- anchoring his left wrist to the bedpost. 

"Scully?" He turned his head to look at her beside him, her fiery hair resting on his outstretched arm. "What... ah... this isn't..." 

"Shush." She sat up. "I don't want to hear a word from you." Her authoritative tone made him chuckle. Obediently he lay there, his hazel eyes trying to see her as she moved out of range. He noticed his jean shirt had been tossed onto the floor, leaving him naked from the waist up. Scully, Scully, Scully... 

She straddled his waist, running both hands over his shoulders. Pulling his right hand up, Dana lay it on the bed beside his head. Stretching out, she traced each finger slowly with her own, doing both hands at the same time, her hair falling onto the back of his neck. Gently she drew circles on the inside of his palms, travelling to the soft inner skin of his forearms as she headed for his bare back. 

Fox gasped, trembling under her touch. Closing his eyes tightly, he felt the whispery fingertips run under his arms, slipping occasionally to his ribs then back up to his shoulder blades. The waves started, travelling up and down his spine as she moved to his back with agonising slowness. Pressing his face into the pillow, he bit his tongue as she continued. Right... now to even the score up... 

Throwing himself up on his knees, he tossed her off to one side. Quickly he rolled atop her, laughing as his wrist pulled at the bedpost. Dana giggled as he yanked at the cuffs, firmly holding her beneath him. 

"The key, please." He demanded. 

"No." 

"Scully... I need both my hands." She stopped, falling into his eyes. One hand went under the pillow, withdrawing with the key. Unlocking his wrist, she smiled and looked up at him. 

"What now?" 

"Now I get to play with you..." Deftly he snapped the cuff around her right wrist, displaying it proudly to her face. "Equal disability." Rolling to the side, he placed his free hand on her back, inching his way under her top. "I bet I can get you going faster than you can me..." 

"I think not." Laughing, she resumed her caressing of his back. "I gave you a head-start." 

"I'm not going to touch that line for my own safety..." He chuckled, letting her rest her head inside the curve of his neck. His fingers felt the goose bumps rising on her skin; the slight flush on her face encouraging him on. 

Dana growled, feeling her skin tingle at his touch. No way she was going to let him win this time... The thin hairs running down his spine responded to her touch, standing straight up as she teased them unmercifully. She heard him sigh into her hair. His trapped hand reached for her own, cuffed between them. Entwining his fingers with hers, he squeezed her hand. Nuzzling against his neck, she felt her own skin beginning to twitch. If she didn't hurry up, he was going to win... 

He was torn between his own pleasure and the challenge of staying focused on this bet... and it looked like it was going to be pretty close. Right -- time for that neck thing. Twisting around, he placed his lips to the base of her neck, feeling the shivering in her body. Pressing his mouth to the sensitive skin, he flinched as the cut lip opened again, then lightly caressed her neck with his tongue. Suddenly he felt it; the soft kiss against his earlobe. His hand flew up, grabbing a handful of her auburn hair as he moaned, feeling her gasp in response. Minutes passed; their hearts racing as they tried to catch their breath. 

Fox lifted his head, looking into her eyes. They lay there for a while, staring silently at each other. Bringing their chained hands up, he unravelled their fingers, surprised at the intensity of their hold on each other. 

"I think we just redefined safe sex." His serious tone made her laugh as she reached for the key. 

"I think it's my turn to make breakfast..." She said softly. "And then we better get ready for work tomorrow." 

**************************** 

Mulder wandered around the apartment, picking up his books and notes that had somehow managed to travel into every room and every shelf. Stopping to shove the jean shirt into a shopping bag he was using for laundry, he looked up at the bed. Someday... Turning back to the living room, he grinned at Scully, working on the small roast she was preparing for dinner. 

"Now if you lived with me, I'd be well-fed every day..." The dishtowel hit him in the face. 

"If you lived with me you'd learn how to pick up after yourself." She put the pan into the oven. Leaning back against the counter, she tugged at her t-shirt. "So what do we do?" 

"Eat dinner when it's ready? Watch the football game until then?" 

"You know what I'm saying..." Nodding, he went to her, taking her hands in his. "Did we cross that thin edge? Do we?" 

"I don't know. I can't say that I didn't enjoy it, and I know you did. But I would like more -- someday. And I really liked this week. It was nice to just be with you as Dana Scully, not as the FBI agent I keep having to get out of trouble." 

"Oh, really?" A smile tugged at her lips as she shook her head. "And when I save your butt, what's that?" 

"Preserving a superior species." 

"Mulder, your DNA is in no danger of becoming a valuable commodity." Her voice changed from joking to serious. "Can we go back?" 

"Do you want to?" He softly said. 

"No." She shook her head. "For all the pain and annoyance, I think it was worth it. Just don't think you can drop by any night and stay over whenever you want to." He frowned. "Mulder, I don't want to become your escape from reality. I will invite you... I really will. But let's keep this from becoming a routine. It would lose its..." 

"Fun?" He laughed. "Scully, you're too neat for me. I need my own mess." Embracing her, Fox felt her relax against him, savouring the sound and feel of her again. "The Redskins will take it by ten points." 

************************* 

They lay on the sofa after dinner, watching the last of the football game. She felt his breathing against her hair; a part of her wishing he would stay; a larger part arguing against it. The temptation was always there -- let's not encourage it, hmm? Dropping a kiss into her red hair, he got to his feet. 

"I should go now. I've got to get ready for work." Making his way to the door, he picked up the bags. "You going to be alright?" 

"Mulder, I'll be fine. A night without you is not going to kill me." Dana laughed. "Besides, I'm only a phone call away. And are you going to be alright?" 

"I'm better than I was a week ago." Fox held her close, tightly hugging her body. "Much better. Sweet dreams." She nodded, closing the door behind him. 

************************ 

The tub water was hot; the bubbles high and overflowing onto the floor. Dana lay there, the washcloth over her eyes as the steam filled the room. The phone rang. Reaching down, she put the receiver to her ear, not bothering to move the cloth off. 

"Hello?" 

"I just thought I'd call to see what you're doing..." 

"I'm in the bathtub taking a hot bubble bath." His chuckle echoed through the phone line. 

"You know, that's probably the one thing I missed this week..." 

"Dream on, Mulder." The comfortable silence sat in the air. "I miss you already, you know." 

"Well, I'm not surprised. Who else makes you watch basketball?" She laughed. He smiled as he listened to her. 

"I'll see you in Skinner's office at eight. He'll probably just yell at us again and send us off to some distant town to make you happy." 

"You make me happy." Her breath caught in her throat as she heard him. 

"Good night, Mulder. Sweet dreams." 

"You too, Scully." Placing the phone down, he looked at the desk. "Someday..." 

She stared at the ceiling, putting the phone on the floor. "Someday, Fox Mulder. Someday..." 

************************ Downtime Day 8 -- Back To Work (Monday) by Sheryl Martin 

"And I hope you've learnt a thing or two from this!" Skinner roared, standing behind the two agents. Fox Mulder tried to look out of the corner of his eye at his partner, who had skidded in seconds before Skinner had exploded. Stifling a smile, he listened to him continue. 

"I refuse to have you two make my life more miserable than it needs to be! Next time I'll put you both into dry dock for two weeks!" A thick cough came from Dana Scully as she bit her lip to keep the laugh back. 

"Get the hell out of here." They went to leave. "Mulder! One minute..." 

****************** 

Scully made it back to the office first, finding Jackie St. George waiting for her. Pulling off her headphones, the woman moved out from behind Dana's desk, moving to sit atop Mulder's. Dana sat down, pulling her glasses on as she picked up the first folder. Jackie waited a minute, then came over, leaning her elbows on the desk. 

"So?" 

"So what?" Dana looked up. 

"So what happened?" She tossed back her ponytail. "Last time we spoke you were with him... and I'm pretty sure it was in bed. So?" 

"What are you asking me?" She tried to keep from laughing, looking at St. George's face. 

"Dana, I want information." Jackie whispered. "You know, times, dates... what he sounds like..." 

"We didn't do anything." Dana felt the heat rising in her face as she remembered how much they didn't do... 

"You liar." She snorted. "Look, Fox Mulder has half the women at my embassy having hot flashes every time he comes to visit. Hell, I've practically had to tie Rosie down to her desk to avoid her giving him free run of my office, not to say of the entire building. And you're telling me nothing happened? You two did nothing?" Her eyebrows arched upwards. 

"Back rubs." 

"Back rubs." Jackie sighed. "That's all? Did you kiss him?" 

"Jackie!" 

"Come on, Dana. I'm curious." A smirk crossed her face. "You're the one who asked me if I wanted to sleep with him... now you tell the truth." 

"You weren't telling the truth." 

"How do you know that?" 

"Mulder said... ah..." 

"He was there. You'll pay for that at the poker game on Saturday." She leaned forward. "Dana, I was... so tell me..." 

"No. We never kissed." She looked back down at the papers. "Cross my heart, hope to die." 

"And the handcuffs?" St. George grinned mischievously. "Did you use them?" 

A strong arm wrapped around her waist suddenly, pulling the Canadian away. Fox waved his finger at her, feeling very selfconscious for the first time around her. 

"Don't you have a Spanish trawler to go hunt somewhere?" He smiled at Dana, seeing the relief in her face at this rescue. 

"Alright, alright... I'm going." She paused at the door. "Just don't you ever call me weird." Jackie laughed. "You two give new meanings to the phrases Ôdeny everything' and Ôthe truth is out there'..." She shut the door behind her, her laughter echoing down the hall. 

"You know she's going to be insufferable until she gets the answers." Mulder said. 

"And who did she learn that from?" 

"Hey, not me. She arrived here that way." Going to his desk, he smiled at her. "Sleep well?" 

"Alright." Dana shrugged. "You?" 

"No nightmares." They looked at each other for a minute, then she passed him the folder. 

"This one's kind of strange..." 

"Then I'll like it." Opening his desk drawer, he withdrew a set of handcuffs from his pocket, dropping them in and closing it softly. Their eyes met for a second, then he chuckled. 

"Let's get back to work, Scully." 

"Lead on, Mulder... Damn!" She giggled, holding up her broken pencil. "I don't even want to ask..." 

********************* Downtime II: Day One (1/8) by Sheryl Martin 

Dana Scully stepped inside the Assistant Director's office, stepping quickly to the single chair in front of the desk. Seating herself, the redhead turned to face Walter Skinner. His smile was tight and official. 

"Agent Scully..." He paused, taking a breath. "It seems that although you want to go back to work immediately after your... loss; the Bureau cannot reinstate you that quickly." 

"Excuse me, sir?" She frowned. The broad-shouldered man tapped the folder on his desk. 

"Paperwork, Agent Scully. The bane of our entire existence. Putting you back on active duty and resurrecting Agent Mulder is not a matter of just tapping a few keys. It's going to take a few days for the department to start up your health benefits; your insurance and all privileges." Skinner adjusted the glasses on his nose. "So, you've got a week free." 

"Sir, I want to work." She protested, feeling her heart tight in her chest. 

"I know that." He leaned forward, his voice low and soft. "I've watched my friends die; watched enemies and friends die side by side. And I always wanted to go back to work or do something... but I can't make the wheels turn any faster." He sighed. "I can't even give you your weapon back until they clear it officially. Your security badge, easy." He gestured towards the picture ID on her lapel. "If civilisation ever collapses, it won't be for lack of documentation." A weary smile touched his lips. "Go home. Sleep, rest, do laundry - whatever you have to do to spend this time. And when you come back, I'll expect very high results from both you and Agent Mulder." 

Getting to her feet, she opened the door. "Sir?" 

He looked up from the desktop, his face once again the mask of authority she had learned to respect. "Yes, Agent Scully?" 

"Agent Mulder... is he still suspended?" 

"He's just barely passed the alive stage for the paperwork - and he's at home, where he should be. Where I expect you to be." 

*************** 

Unlocking the door quietly, she stepped inside and tossed the keys onto the couch as the briefcase fell to the floor. Great way to start a Monday. Dana suddenly looked down... 

... and saw the dark bloodstained patch of wooden floor beneath her feet... 

************** 

"Dana?" A nervous female voice called around the corner. "Dana?" 

"In here." Scully splashed cold water on her face. She had just made it to the bathroom in time. Taking a shuddering breath, she turned to face St. George. "Oh, it's you." 

"Just your friendly neighbourhood Dragon." Jackie smiled weakly. "You okay?" 

"Yes." She sighed. "No." 

"Right. I'll put the kettle on." 

************ 

"So where are you off to?" Dana motioned to the knapsack dropped by the front door. Jackie smiled, sipping her cup of tea. 

"I'm going home." She chuckled at the agent's expression. "For a week. Rosie made reservations for me and Marty at the Royal York. Going to show him the old haunts; visit the team and my parents... get some real beer and play pinball on Yonge Street." 

"Good for you." Dana looked at the bottom of her mug. "I'm off for the week. Seems that it's easier to be dead than alive; as far as the Bureau is involved." She bit down hard on her tongue, feeling her eyes begin to fill. 

"Dana..." The Canadian put a hand on her arm, speaking softly. "It's not your fault. It's their fault - and they will pay for it. Karma and all that." 

She laughed, wiping her eyes. "You sound like Missy." 

"Please don't even kid about that." Jackie shuddered. "I have enough ghosts in my life as it is - I don't need any more. How's Mom?" 

"She's doing okay - I'm going to go visit her in a day or so. Brian's staying with her until tomorrow... he moved in yesterday after the funeral." Her eyes strayed towards the bloodstain. "Have to tear up the floor, I guess..." 

"Whenever, Dana..." Getting to her feet, the woman scribbled a number on a piece of paper, taping it to the refrigerator door. "Believe it or not, they actually came through for a pager and a cel phone. Must be feeling really guilty." She snapped the pen closed. "If you want me; call." Her eyes locked with the agent. "Call me or I will be very upset." 

"I will." Dana smiled. "I've got a week to waste." 

"Well, you could always spend it with him..." One eyebrow arched upwards in query. 

"Jackie..." 

"Look." She bent over, looking directly into the hazel eyes. "Whatever you two had has changed - I can see that much. And the last downtime you spent with him was quite... productive, from what I dragged out of you." She paused. "He just found out some very sad stuff, Dana. And he might want to talk to someone who's not going to analyse him to death or parrot the psychobabble about losing a parent. He needs a friend... and not some crazy Canuck who has very wanton plans for a week in Toronto." 

Chuckling to herself; the redhead nodded. "I'll think about it." 

"You'll be with him, Dana Scully." Hoisting her knapsack over one shoulder, the Canadian smiled. "I don't need any crystal ball to see that - but you call me if you need to - I won't mind." 

"You got it, St. George." She paused at the door, looking down again at the reddened wood. Her eyes travelled back up to meet Jackie's. "Have a good vacation." 

"You too... but be gentle with the cuffs, eh?" 

***************** 

Fox Mulder sighed as he dumped the last of the clean laundry on top of the bed. He'd done up the dishes; done the laundry; taken the garbage out; and backed up all his computer files... and he still had a week to kill. Wonderful. And the newest copy of the Adult Video News wasn't due for another few days. Maybe there was a NBA game on tonight... The knock on the front door snapped his reverie. 

"St. George?" 

She smiled. "What, you got religion when you died? This place is spotless!" Dropping her knapsack on the floor, the woman stared at the fish tank. "Uh... still working on the cloaking device or did they all die again?" 

"Hey, I tried..." 

"Famous last words, Mulder." Plopping down on the sofa, she laughed. "I'm outta here in a hour; but I wanted to give you my pager and cel phone number just in case you needed to get ahold of me." 

"For what?" 

"Oh, I dunno." Her hands waved in the air sarcastically. "God knows that you never get into anything over your head..." 

He chuckled. "Point taken, St. George." 

"I just came from Dana's place..." 

He blinked rapidly, leaning on the doorframe. "Oh... how is she doing?" 

"Just fine for someone who had her sister die instead of her. And who thought her partner had died as well." Her face was expressionless. "It was good of you to be at the funeral yesterday for her." 

Mulder shrugged. "Margaret was good to me when Scully was gone those months; the least I could do was be there for both of them." 

"Right." Getting to her feet, she paused; lowering her voice. "And you still need to be there for Dana - especially this week." 

He pulled back, his eyes wide. "I don't understand what you're inferring..." 

"Mulder, you're not that stupid - well, maybe; but not right now. She's torn up over this and you're the only person she can talk to - the only one she knows isn't going to make fun of what happened to her - to you both." She smiled. "EAP doesn't cover this... and if she'll talk to anyone, she'll talk to you." 

"I'll think about it." He held the door open as she lifted the knapsack. "When will you be back?" 

"A week. I'll be up in Toronto. Call me if you need to." Their eyes locked. "I mean it." 

"Oh, I'm scared..." 

"Be very afraid, Mulder... be very afraid - I'm still annoyed at missing all this." She kissed him lightly on the cheek before disappearing down the hallway. "And be gentle, okay?" 

************* 

The VCR clock read three in the afternoon... and Dana Scully was miserable. More miserable than she could remember. And the worst thing was, she didn't have anything left to drink in the house; only a small bottle of white wine that she had picked up after work one day a long time ago and never opened. Barely enough for three glasses. 

Sighing loudly, she rolled the thin glass bottle containing the implant in between her fingers; staring at the small microchip. Just out of the corner of her eye she could see the dishcloth she had tossed at the front door; over the stain. The small disc rattled and tinkled inside the container as she gazed at it intently. She could take it to Byers and Company to be analysed... and be harassed and shown the many flaws of her government. No, she couldn't handle that right now. They must have known that she had had it removed; had deactivated it somehow. But the men had left it behind when they had come in here... and killed Melissa instead... She wiped away a loose tear. Damn. It was going to be one helluva week. Her eyes drifted to the phone. 

The VCR clock read three fifteen in the afternoon... and Fox Mulder was happy as a clam. He had decided to recatalogue all his videos, and was sitting in the middle of the floor; surrounded by stacks of tapes and labels. Pushing another tape into the machine, he hummed to himself as he scribbled on the label merrily a new description of the acrobatics on the screen. 

Stop kidding yourself, Mulder. The mental voice tapped him on the shoulder. This is not as much fun as you want it to be. Biting his lip, he ejected the tape and put it aside. Your father liked you best. Let them have Samantha. And your mother is not exactly dealing with this well. He reran the last phone conversation he had had with her; last night. 

"Mom, I understand... you didn't have any choice." 

"Fox, I had the choice. And I gave it away." A muffled sob came over the line. "And that bastard chose you over her. I will never be able to forgive him for that." She fell silent. 

"Are you mad at me?" He asked softly. "Are you mad that I found out?" 

"You were his favourite, Fox." Her voice echoed in his ear. "Don't ask me more than that - not right now." The phone line went dead. 

Lashing out, he knocked a pile of tapes across the room; the black boxes skidding across the wooden floor. And he had come in here and seen Skinner pointing a gun at Scully; and she was alive and he was alive and his father was dead but Samantha was alive... 

He put a shaking hand to his face, finding it damp with tears. Staggering to his feet; Mulder went into the bathroom and washed his face; trying to avoid the accusing eyes in the mirror. His father's eyes. 

He looked at the phone. And picked it up. 

***************** 

"Scully?" 

"Mulder?" She tried to sound normal. "So... tell me that Frohike's broken into the Bureau computers and cut the red tape out." 

"No such luck." He sounded worse than she felt. "Ah... Did you need any groceries? I was just going out, and thought..." 

"Mulder; I have a store at the corner." And you know that... "But if you want to pick up a pizza and come over, I think the Knicks are playing tonight." 

"Thanks." He said softly. "I'll be over in a bit." 

"I'll be here." She smiled. 

**************** 

Mulder grinned as he walked through the door. "Extra everything." He held up the paper bag. "And white wine. Goes with pizza, I hear." 

She laughed as she retrieved the wine. "Where did you hear that?" 

"The Learning Channel, where else?" Propping his elbows on the counter top, he watched her dish out the slices onto plates, deftly filling up two glasses. "So... how are you doing?" 

Dana paused. "I'm... managing. You?" 

"I'm managing too." He licked his lips nervously. "I think I'll go visit the grave tomorrow." 

"Your dad's?" 

He closed his eyes, remembering suddenly that there were two fresh graves in their wake. "Yes... and maybe hers too... I'll see." 

Nodding, she handed him a plate and a glass; seating herself on the couch. "I know. I should go visit Mom this week... maybe. She's still in shock. Seems that she thought it was me when she went to the hospital - when she heard that they found a shot woman in my apartment..." A hand lifted the wine to her lips. "Not a wild jump to think it was me..." 

He said nothing, chewing on a mouthful of pizza. Swallowing, Fox spoke. "You think... you think that she wished it was you instead of Mel?" 

"No... Mom's not like that." She laughed sadly. "She probably wanted to figure out why all this bad stuff kept happening to me when I got transferred to the X Files." 

"Was it all bad stuff?" 

"No." She chuckled, avoiding his face. "It's not all bad." Putting the empty plate down, she reached for the controller. "Basketball?" 

"Whatever you want, Scully." Stretching out his arms along the top of the sofa, he sighed. "Whatever you want..." 

She could almost hear Jackie laughing... 

************** 

Groggily Dana rubbed her eyes, trying to remember the last few minutes of the game. Lifting her head from Fox's chest, she focused in on the blank screen and the annoying screech of the off air signal. Reaching up, she extracted the control from his grip; punching the off button and dropping it back on the floor. 

With a soft sigh she snuggled back into the warm spot on his chest; feeling the light breathing atop her head. One hand had fallen off the back of the sofa; landing comfortably around her hip while the other had taken up a position behind his head; propping him up as a light snore escaped his lips. She stared up at him, wondering for a second if she should wake him up and send him home. 

Slapping that voice down, she closed her eyes again. Although she knew that to bed meant different things to different people, she couldn't vouch that this time they occupied the same bed that temptation might just win... and she might cross that thin edge they had negotiated the last time they had been suspended... 

Fox felt her face resting against his front; felt the heartbeat against his skin. In the back of his mind he recalled the comfort they had found in each others arms once; the friendship they had decided to take a step further - but not to the sexual end that most couples had aimed for. For some reason, and if anyone had ever told him this years before he would have laughed at them; he felt closer to Dana Scully than any sexual partner he'd ever had... Even though he'd never held her in that intimate way of lovers; the bond he felt for the woman sleeping soundly in his arms was stronger than almost anything he had ever felt before. And since coming back from the dead... What a cliche, Fox Mulder!!! Since coming back from the dead he had changed somehow... but he still didn't know how or why or what. He heard a light snore; suddenly realising it was his own. With a mental laugh he let himself fall back down into sleep; relishing the peacefulness in his heart where none had been for so long... 

****************** 

Downtime II: Day 2 (2/8) 

Fox Mulder opened his eyes slowly; seeing the mop of red hair on his chest rise and fall with every breath he took. A soft smile on his lips; he shifted his legs around to try and deposit Dana Scully onto the sofa and perhaps creep into the shower first before scrounging some breakfast... then he saw it. 

Her hair had fallen away from her neck, with the bandage coming loose. And the small scar choked the air in his lungs. 

Closing his eyes tightly; he tried to will it away - then opened them again to focus in on the small container sitting across the room on the far table top. 

"Oh, god..." He murmured into her hair. "No..." 

Dana stirred restlessly in his arms. "Hmm... Mulder..." Lifting her face from his shirt; she sleepily stared at him. "What's... what's wrong?" His jaw tightened as he swallowed back his nausea. 

"Your neck... what is that?" 

A hand flew up to touch the wound. "Oh..." She closed her eyes, putting her head back down. "Not right now... I can't deal with that right now..." 

"Scully..." He pulled her face up with a finger tucked under her chin. "They found that, didn't they?" His chin motioned towards the table. She nodded, pulling away from him. 

Grabbing the blanket off the back of the sofa, Dana wrapped it around her as she curled up at the opposite end of the cushions. Fox walked over to pick up the container; sliding the chip back and forth. 

"Have you had this analysed yet?" His eyes gleamed with a familiar hunger as he stared at it. "Scully?" The sound of the bedroom door slamming snapped him out of his thoughts. Looking down at the glass bottle in his hand; he paused. This wasn't some nameless corpse they had found this in... it had been inside her - in his partner's body. 

She buried her face in the pillow; trying to not cry... Images of their first case shot through her mind at a rapid pace; of that body and the implant they had found in the nasal cavity... of Duane Barry and the one in his teeth... of the image she had seen in the microscope of the chip that the had carried for so long... The sobs broke free as she began to shake; hands clenching and twisting at the blankets under her as she tried to remember again - and failed. 

Suddenly she felt a pair of strong arms pulling her up out of the pillows; encircling her and holding her tight. 

"I'm sorry..." Mulder sighed. "Sometimes I forget how hard it must be for you." His voice cracked. "I can be a bit... insensitive at times..." 

She laughed at that; choking on her tears as she swallowed. Sitting up, she wrapped the blanket again around her as a chill hit. "Mulder; that's as close to a confession as I'll probably ever hear." He returned her smile. "Why don't you go start the coffee and I'll be out in a bit..." 

"Banana-nut muffins..." He whispered seductively; leaning over to murmur the words in her ear. "And fresh orange juice..." 

"I'm all yours in twenty minutes - and don't forget to at least put the dishes in the sink." 

Nodding; he gave her one last reassuring hug and slid off the bed. She could hear him opening and closing cupboards as he began to destroy her kitchen. Fox Mulder... Dana sighed. Missy was right - karma does exist. And it is a bitch at times... 

************* 

"Look, it's no problem taking you to your mother's." Fox protested as he reached for the last muffin. "It's a long drive; and I think you should take it easy right now. It's not like I've got anything planned - well, have to buy some new fish." 

She chuckled; licking a stray trickle of melted butter from her hand. "Well, you could keep relabelling your video collection." 

"That's something you have to be in the mood for." He picked up the plate. "Inspired; I believe is the word." 

"That's not the word I was thinking of, Mulder..." 

****************** 

"Dana... Fox... " Margaret Scully's face was tired and drawn; with dark circles under her bloodshot eyes. Behind her, the concerned figure of an older Scully brother hovered nervously. "Come in, both of you..." She wandered into the kitchen, dragging Mulder by the sleeve of his trench coat. Brian pulled Dana aside into the living room with a questioning look. 

"She's doing fine... but she can't sleep." He sighed. "I've got to get home to the kids... they're taking it badly too." Kissing her cheek, he tried to smile. "You know, she's been asking when you were coming up since you left the funeral on Sunday... and when you called this morning she was beaming when she hung up the phone." 

She nodded, her face a little brighter at the statement. Putting his coat on, he went into the kitchen to say goodbye while Dana finished hanging her coat up. 

"... She must be having a rough time of it..." Margaret Scully was saying to Fox; his hand held tightly in both of hers. Dana quietly took a seat beside her mother; wondering at the change in his face. He looked so young and vulnerable like that... 

"She's doing as best as she can." He lamely stuttered. "She just wants to be alone right now..." His eyes met Dana's. "My father left... some unfinished business behind." 

"Well, she'll call for you." Margaret said confidentially. "And when she does, you go to her straightaway." Her attention turned to the woman beside her. "So, no blisters this time?" 

She blushed; noting Fox's puzzled expression. "I'll get some coffee for all of us. And then maybe you should try to take a nap." 

"Dana walked all the way up here last week." The older woman whispered to Fox as Dana began to pull down the mugs. "Took off her shoes to make it hurt less - that's why she changed to the tennis shoes." She smiled. "Must have been really upset of the idea of you being gone." He nodded in reply, not knowing what to say. "You'll stay for dinner?" 

Fox looked from Margaret to Dana. "Ah... sure... I've got nothing to do..." 

"Thanks for the ringing endorsement, Mulder." Scully laughed. "Go pull in some firewood from the garage, if you want to see any food at all." 

He got up, squeezing the elder Scully's hand one last time as he opened the back door. With a weary sigh, the woman got to her feet; moving to give Dana a fast hug as she reached for the pantry door. 

"You never told him about the walk?" 

"Never needed to, Mom..." Dana stopped suddenly; a can of vegetables in her hand. "Mom... I can get some sleeping pills for you." 

She waved her away. "I've been through this before... And I don't want to take anything..." A tear rolled down her cheek as a hand caressed Dana's cheek. "But a mother never expects to bury her children..." 

Fox paused at the door with his arms full of wood; seeing her crying into Dana's shoulder. Dropping the wood at the back door; he walked back out to the garage. 

Dana found him an hour later; the sweat rolling off his body as he hoisted the axe above his head to bring it down on the log. He had stripped off his coat and suit jacket; pulling the tie free and unbuttoning his shirt as he had split one log after another. She paused; blinking rapidly as she found herself admiring his form... Enough of that, Dana Katherine Scully. 

"Mulder..." He looked up, his concentration broken. "Get into the shower - I'll find some of Dad's old stuff for you to wear and then we'll eat." 

**************** 

Lifting the spoonful of mashed potatoes to his mouth, Fox greedily ate. For some reason that he'd never been able to fathom, everything tasted better when someone else made it - whether it was mashed potatoes or peanut butter sandwiches. Across the table, Margaret nodded contentedly as she watched the agent pack away enough food for a small army. The dark grey sweater and track pants that Dana had found for him had been a bit large; but still looked good on him. She had already started washing his shirt and had laid out new bed sheets on Brian's old bed. 

"Worked up a bit of an appetite splitting the wood?" Dana smirked as she passed him the plate of roast beef for the third time." 

"I'm inspired." He murmured as he reached for the gravy. "And I'll never pass up one of your mother's meals." He winked at Margaret. "Not like I'll ever see anything like this at Dana's..." 

"For that crack you're doing the dishes, Mulder..." 

"Dana... Fox..." Margaret paused. "Can you stay the night?" She continued quickly, seeing the doubt in Fox's eyes. "I've got Brian's old bed already set up - and Dana's room is always hers." 

He smiled, seeing the need in her eyes. "Sure." Fox turned to Dana. "I'll drive us back tomorrow..." She nodded in reply, a gentle smile on her lips. 

**************** 

"Mom's finally asleep." The redhead closed the screen door quietly, wandering onto the porch where Mulder stood; admiring the sunset. He stared out at the reds and purples illuminating the sky. 

"Good... she needs the rest." He turned to look at her; a part of his mind enjoying the dimming light as it reflected off her soft hair and the shawl she had wrapped around her shoulders. In this light... 

"She'll be fine, I think. And she's adamant about us leaving tomorrow to go visit your mother." 

He blinked rapidly. "Excuse me?" 

"You heard me. And I promised her that I'd talk to you about it." She sighed, looking out towards the setting sun. "Mulder, I don't want to get in the middle of a fight between you and your mother. We can always go home directly and not bother. But I can't lie to my mother." Her eyes met his. "Just consider it, please?" She rested her hands on the wooden railing, taking deep breaths of the clear air. 

He nodded, pursing his lips. "I'll think about it." Stepping behind her; he put his hands on her shoulders lightly; feeling her tense for a second. 

"I'm fine." She volunteered before he could ask. "Just tired." 

"I can't guess from what... Not like we've been under any stress or anything." He wrapped his arms around her in an easy embrace; rocking her back and forth as they watched the sunset. 

"My mother's room is in between mine and Brian's... and the boards creak..." 

"Your mother is a very wise woman..." He kissed the back of her neck softly; where the scar sat. "But I think you'll sleep well enough tonight without me." 

"She's looking better..." Dana sighed, relaxing in his arms. "No mother should have to bury her children." 

"Then let's make sure she never has to think of that again. Either of our mothers." He closed his eyes, burying his face in the red hair. 

Downtime II: Day 3 by Sheryl Martin 

Fox Mulder closed the bedroom door quietly behind him; tucking his shirt into his pants. With that many daughters and sons, he could appreciate the extra bathroom built into the back of Brian's room... what a noisy household it must have been filled with the Scully clan! It was after nine, and he hadn't heard anything from Dana's room - maybe he should check that she was alright. Taking a step down the hallway, he heard the floorboards creak... 

... And a voice drifted up from the bottom of the stairs. 

"Fox, breakfast is ready." Margaret's soft but firm tone echoed along the corridor. "And I already got Dana up - she'll be down in a bit." 

He smiled. No matter how old you got... Walking to the top of the staircase, he headed down to the kitchen. 

Margaret Scully looked up from the stove; motioned to the fully-loaded table. He let out a low whistle at the amount of food in front of him. 

"Are you expecting the Army to visit?" 

She laughed softly. "Sit down and eat. I'll be there in a minute." She picked up the coffeepot from the top of the stove. 

With a feigned sigh of resignation Fox began to load up his plate. Dana Scully appeared in the doorway; her tousled hair askew as she staggered to the table in a large oversized bathrobe. With a yawn she reached for the juice as Margaret seated herself at the table. She patted her daughter on the head. 

"Sleep well?" 

"Uh-huh." Dana inhaled the juice; ignoring Fox's grin. "You?" 

"Just fine." Her mother smiled. "Must be having a full house again." 

"Oh, I can arrange that." Fox interjected. "I can call up a few friends... Byers always likes to get out of the city..." 

"Mulder..." 

"I'm kidding..." He avoided the piece of toast flying at him; deftly plucking it out of the air and popping it into his mouth. 

"Dana..." The stern look made her cringe. Across the table, Fox smirked until the gaze was turned on him; causing him to look down at his plate and continue eating in silence. 

"You two are incorrigible." Margaret sighed. Fox winked at Dana as he cleaned his plate and reached for the pancakes again. Stifling a laugh, she shook her head and drained her juice glass. 

************** 

They had shooed Margaret out of the kitchen finally; insisting that she let them at least clean up. Dana mumbled something about work therapy; up to her elbows in hot soapy water as Fox stood beside her, dishtowel in hand. 

"Are you in a rush to get back?" Dana asked as she passed him a wet plate for drying. He shrugged. 

"I've got my cel phone with me. And the fish are dead already." He smiled. "If it makes your mother feel better; I'll stay another day... and avoid mine." 

"You don't have to." She protested. "I mean; I can get home on my own... and if you want to go visit her..." 

"Hey, I still have some wood left to chop." Fox smiled. "And we've got a whole week... and I haven't been this well-fed in a long while." He looked down at the dish. "When she wants me, she'll call..." 

************* 

"Dana, I'm going to go rest for a bit." Margaret pulled her sweater tight around her. "I'm so tired..." 

"That's alright, Mom. You go lie down - Mulder and I am going to stay for another day; if you'll have us." 

The elder Scully's face brightened. "You know it's never a question... Just keep your bedroom door open." Ignoring her daughter's reddening face, she turned to Fox. "You're always welcome here, Fox... just remember you've got a mother too." 

He nodded. "Yes, Mom." The mischevious twinkle in his eye made her chuckle. 

She smiled as she started up the stairs. "Go easy on him, Dana... no throwing him down the hill this time." 

************** 

The cool wind whipped the grey shawl around Dana's shoulders as she led him along the dirt road towards the church - and the graveyard. Fox pulled at the black sweater he had pulled on over his shirt; adjusting the sleeves under his jacket. It was going to be a cold night - already he had a chill creeping up his spine. Or maybe that was due to the surroundings... 

Swinging the iron gate open, Dana stepped through; picking her path carefully along the well-worn grass to the freshly-turned soil. 

Taking a shuddering breath, she stared down at the new gravestone; at the small roses strewn across the dirt. 

"Oh, Missy..." She sighed. "Why you... why not me... why didn't you pick up the dammed phone..." A strong set of hands settled on her shoulders; squeezing slightly as she felt his steady breath on her neck. "I don't understand... I want to understand why... I want to know..." Dana whispered. Turning away, she buried her face in Mulder's sweater; crying quietly into the thick wool. 

He looked over her shoulder at the dark brown dirt, a deep sigh escaping his lips as his arms tried to contain the trembling woman. Fox could feel her knees begin to buckle; to weaken. He tightened his grip until he was almost picking her up; suffocating her in his grasp. After a few minutes he could feel her breathing begin to settle down and the sobs to disappear - leaning down he put her back on her feet slowly. 

************* 

Margaret looked out her bedroom window towards the church; seeing the two figures slowly walking down the road back towards the house. Sniffling slightly, she smiled as she realised they were holding hands. I wish you could see this, love... Her lips silently moved. Your Starbuck is being well cared for... 

*************** 

"...And you didn't really see them?" He frowned. 

"Mulder, I dropped my flashlight." She protested. "And they went by me so fast that I don't know what they were... could have been security men in environmental suits; for all I know." 

Fox sighed. "I guess... but the ship..." 

"It could have been faked to make you think that way. Don't start with me again." She warned. "I'll believe it when you give me a bona fide body to autopsy." Dana snorted. "Not some decayed corpse, either..." 

"You are such a skeptic." He groaned. "Oh, Scully..." 

"Oh, Mulder..." 

*************** 

Margaret dabbed at her eyes with the edge of her sleeve. Although she couldn't hear what they were saying, the body language said it all - and she went back to bed feeling a little happier. 

*************** 

They walked past the house into the small woods to the west; where Dana had learnt to shoot and Melissa had found leaves to press. She paused at a large oak tree; putting her back to it. Fox walked past her; seating himself on a large rock. 

"The implant..." She started. He nodded. "I'll give it to you for the Gunmen to look at - but not right now." Her eyes searched the branches above them; the deep blue sky. "I need to know... don't misunderstand me - but I can only handle so much at one time." 

"Okay." Mulder picked up a leap; twirling it between his palms. "When you're ready. And we'll go see my mother tomorrow." He sighed. "I've got to start taking the initiative in this relationship, I guess..." 

Walking over, she pulled him up to face her. "You're always taken the initiative, Mulder... which explains it all." 

A soft laugh escaped him as he looked down at her. "And sometimes we win..." Suddenly he realised how close she was; the loose shawl moving slightly in the breeze. Leaning forward, the faintest smell of soap met his nose; mixed with some sort of herbal shampoo. Closing his eyes, Fox began to nuzzle into her hair just behind her ear; wrapping his arms around her to pull her closer. 

"Mulder..." She put her hands on his waist; her heart racing. "I... we..." 

"I know..." He murmured into her hair. " I know... but you can't blame me for being tempted." 

She chuckled into his neck. "You're not the only one. But someday..." 

"Oh, yah... it's a date, Scully..." Releasing her, he stepped back. "I think I need to chop some wood." She took his hand. "Let's go home. I'll check on Mom and then start dinner." 

************ 

Margaret awoke to the familiar sounds of her kitchen; the two voices arguing and debating beneath her. Lying there in the darkness; she could almost imagine she was hearing a younger version of her husband and herself; maybe thirty or more years ago when they were first starting out... before Dana and Bill Jr. and Melissa... She put her head back on the pillow. 

"Mom?" The door opened quietly. "Mom?" 

"Dana?" 

"We're just getting dinner ready... should be about an hour or so." She crossed the room to stand by the bed. "Are you doing alright?" 

Reaching out, Margaret grasped Dana's hand tenderly. "I was just listening to you and Fox talking. Did you have a nice walk?" 

"Yes. We talked a lot." She shuffled her feet. "We're going to visit his mother tomorrow, I think." 

"Good. You take care of him." The older woman sighed. "I like him." A smile touched her lips. "Think he'd be a good son-in-law..." 

"Mom..." Dana warned. 

"It's an instinctive thing, Dana... let me have a dream." She chuckled. "I'll be down in a bit - just remember the oven handle gets hot." A yelp came from beneath them. "Never mind." They both laughed. 

**************** 

The fire roared in the stone hollow set in the wall; the two agents curled up in front of it while Margaret sat in the old rocking chair. She sighed, looking into the flames. 

"This is the chair that I used to rock you to sleep in." Her hazel eyes drifted away in the smoke. "And Mel, and all of the kids... and the grandkids too, when they're here." 

Dana reached over to touch her knee. "Mom... are you feeling any better?" Fox sat silently in the dark, not wanting to intrude. 

"Yes." She took a deep breath. "I think so... but these things always take time." Standing up, she walked towards the stairs. "Just don't let the fire burn the house down, you two... and don't get burnt." 

"I assume that's a warning to me." He whispered as she disappeared up the staircase. Dana chuckled; reaching forward to draw the screen in front of the fireplace. 

"Actually, to me. When I was ten I forgot to pull the screen across one night and fell asleep here on the floor." A hand ran over the polished wood. "A spark leapt out and hit my arm in the middle of the night - I was fine; not even a burn... But my screaming brought Mom and Dad down so fast that I must have sounded like one of L'Ively's victims." She leaned back into his embrace, feeling him curl up around her. "But she sounds better..." 

"Yes, she does." He smiled. "And I've run out of wood to chop. She won't need any for the next two years, I think..." 

"Good." Closing her eyes, she yawned. "I'm tired... must be all that exercise..." 

"Well, shooting your mouth off does count, I guess..." He grunted as she shoved her elbow back into his ribs. "Alright, creative discussions..." 

"Hmm..." She settled back against him, her body relaxing. "I just want to nap for a bit..." Her voice trailed off. 

With a soft smile Fox sat in front of the fire, looking into the flames through and around the red hair of the woman in front of him. Burying his face in her shoulder, he stifled a yawn himself; feeling the tenseness leave his body. Bracing his back against the sofa, he let himself drift off again, feeling the heat from the flames caress his hands where they rested around her body. No fear; no apprehension... maybe this dying stuff was good for you after all... His mind drifted free as he fell asleep. 

************************* Downtime II: Day 4 (4/8) by Sheryl Martin 

Margaret Scully knocked softly on the bedroom door; opening it slowly. "Dana..." She frowned when she saw the bed hadn't been slept in. Striding down the hall, she rapped on the bedroom door where Fox Mulder had spent the night... hopefully alone. "Fox..." Taking a deep breath, she turned the doorknob and peeked in... 

... To see another empty bed. She sighed. For a second there she had been torn between lecturing her daughter on household etiquette and rejoicing at the prospect of a new romance in her family. But now she was just plain confused. 

Until she walked into the family room and saw the couple on the floor; protectively curled up around each other. A smile touched her lips as she watched them. 

Fox was lying on his left side; his outstretched arm serving as a pillow for her daughter's head as she lay facing the fireplace. His right hand snaked around her waist; pulling her close into his chest. Her peaceful face shone in the morning light; one hand resting atop his as she let out a soft waking sigh. 

Margaret watched them for a minute; then tiptoed into the kitchen. As the smell of fresh coffee and hot biscuits drifted through the house, she put out the plates and began to prepare some eggs. A few minutes later Dana staggered into the kitchen; rubbing her eyes. She reached for the mug gratefully. 

"Dana..." Margaret bit her lip. "I don't mean to pry - your life is your own..." 

"But am I sleeping with Fox Mulder?" She chuckled at her mother's expression. "Yes. And no." Taking a seat at the heavy oak table, the redhead sighed. 

"The last time we were suspended we just ended up spending so much time together that it seemed natural to be together... but not as lovers." She sipped the coffee. "We've talked about it - maybe in the future when we're ready to make a commitment to each other... And it would change our lives so much to take that final step." Dana looked into the cup. "Sometimes it's nice to just cuddle with someone, Mom... to be held and comforted." 

She put her hand atop Dana's. "I know. Believe me, I can't fault you for taking your time - and I'm glad it's Fox. I like him." She winked. "Best friends make best lovers, Dana... And your father was my best friend." 

"Thanks..." The agent sighed. "I don't quite understand it myself, but it seems to work for us." 

"Then run with it." Margaret filled another mug of coffee, putting it in front of her. "Now go get that lazy partner of yours up before his snoring brings the house down." 

Kneeling down in front of the sleeping man, she lightly tickled the tip of his nose, watching him twitch. "Up and at them, Mulder. Even brought you coffee." 

He opened his eyes slowly, flinching as he sat up. "Ow... hard floor." 

"You've slept in worse places." She chucked, handing him the mug. "Come fill your face - then we'll be off." 

"Oh, Scully... I love it when you bring me off..." He smirked until she plucked the cup out of his fingers; briskly marching back into the kitchen. "Scully... aw, come on... where's your sense of humour in the morning?" 

************ 

"So you're going to your mother's?" Margaret walked with them out to the car; handing a small bag of sandwiches and cookies to Dana. Fox nodded, leaning on the car door. 

"I should check to see if she's all right... I really haven't been too attentive lately with everything that's been going on..." He looked into the grey sky. "Great day for it." 

Hugging Dana tightly, the older woman stepped back. "You take care of him." She whispered. "And call me when you get back home again..." 

"How are you feeling?" Dana asked tentatively; not wanting to reopen old wounds. Her mother shrugged. 

"Better. Worse. I know it's going to be a while before I'm up to par again; but Scullys never give in." Kissing her lightly on the cheek, she embraced Fox in a tight hug. "You take care, Fox... you know you've always got a home here." 

He swallowed; unsure what to say or do. Instead he just returned the warm hug; leaning down to her. "I'll keep an eye on her." He whispered to Margaret. "I won't let anything happen to her again." 

She nodded. "I believe you." Stepping back, she waved as the car pulled out onto the road. "Bye..." As they disappeared in the distance, Margaret Scully turned and walked back into the empty house. 

*************** 

"Want to have some fun?" Dana looked across at Fox, noting his downcast expression. He shrugged. 

"Whatever..." He turned his gaze to the road. The redhead produced her cel phone from a pocket. 

"Let's see how Jackie's doing back home..." Punching in the number, she held up the phone so they could both hear the connection. 

"... Hello?" A deep male voice said. 

"Marty? It's Dana..." 

"Are you okay? Jackie's in the shower right now, but I can..." 

"No, no..." She said quickly, trying to calm him down. "We're just on the way to Mulder's place and wanted to see how your vacation was going." 

He sighed. "Well, she's gotten us banned from two restaurants already... seems they don't take too well to drunk singing patriots screaming Oh Canada at the top of their lungs..." The man paused. "Oh, wait... you've got to hear this..." They heard him walk over to the door and put the receiver to the wood. The deep tones of St. George singing reverberated through the car as they drove. 

"Oh, I'm a reluctant Dragon, What ho! Quite so.... A very reluctant Dragon... Oh, veddy veddy don't you know? They call me a timid Dragon... What rot! I'm not... I just won't fight; I'd rather play, I know I shan't get hurt that way... Here we go gathering nuts in May... Whoops! I'm reluctant..." Sound of door opening. 

"WHAT THE HELL??? THERE BETTER NOT BE ANYONE ON THAT LINE, MARTY..." 

"It's Dana. She called to talk to you." 

Clink, crash. "Hello... if you two are in trouble, my price just doubled." 

Dana laughed. "We're doing fine. Just left Mom's." 

"How's she doing?" They could hear the chuckling in the background. "Oh, you're going to pay for that..." 

"Sounded great, St. George." Mulder said. "I always had a soft spot for Walt Disney..." 

"Yah, and it's between your eyes, Mulder. My price just tripled. So other than encouraging homicide, what are you calling me up for?" 

"Oh, just wanted to see how you were doing... Mom says to drop by and visit when you can." Dana smiled at Fox. "Think you'll be back?" 

"Oh, yes, most definitely. After I skin someone alive..." Crash, tinkle. "Excuse me, you two... I feel a hunting urge coming on... Call me later on and tell me how it's going." The line went dead. 

"Marty might just not survive that one." Fox chuckled. "But it was funny..." 

**************** 

The long stone steps up to the Mulder household seemed like the longest walk he had ever done in his life. 

"Fox..." The white-haired woman hugged him tightly. "It was a surprise when you called this morning to say you were coming up..." Releasing him, she extended a hand to Dana. "Ms Scully... It's good to see you again." 

"Ah, yah." He ushered the two women into the house, closing the door. "Don't leave home without her..." 

************** 

She wandered around the kitchen; hustling up a quick lunch of sandwiches and soup as Fox and Dana sat at the kitchen table. Dana looked over at her partner; noting his discomfort. Getting to her feet, the agent smiled. 

"I'm just going to sit out on the porch for a bit... Enjoy the fresh air." Slipping quietly from the room, she hoped it would work out. 

"Mom..." He rubbed his hands together. "I hope you don't mind that I brought Scully..." 

"Your friends were always welcome, Fox." She sliced up a cucumber neatly; spreading the slices across the bread. He paused, choosing his words carefully. 

"I... if I had known Dad chose me over Sam I would have asked him to take it back; to change it." The words, once released, began to tumble out one after the other. "What he did wasn't right; but if I had known I would have let them take me instead of her; made them take me... Made him tell me why he chose me over her..." His voice trailed off as he stared at the polished wood surface. "I'm sorry, Mom. I should have stopped them." 

She finished slicing the tomatoes, completing the sandwiches. The silence fell over the room like a shroud. 

"Mom..." He bit his lip, feeling the tears start to fill his eyes. "Just tell me that you understand; that you know I would have changed this if I could..." 

No answer. The knife deftly cut through the bread; splitting them cleanly. 

"Mom..." Fox sighed. "Just tell me something..." 

She paused. "I loved your father. I loved you and Samantha. But when he did that; when he made me think about that choice; something died. And when I thought she had come back..." Her gaze travelled out the window. "You gave her away for your partner. I couldn't believe that you would do that again; let them have her a second time. And your father stood there, smoking that dammed cigarette and staring at her... He knew it wasn't her; couldn't be her and he said nothing." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "And you are your father's son." 

"I am Fox Mulder." He said softly. "I am my own man, Mother..." 

"Your name is Fox William Mulder." She pushed the sandwiches onto a plate. "And you will always be your father's son." 

Getting to his feet, Mulder pushed the bile back down his throat. "Then what do we have to talk about?" He put his hand atop hers, watching her pull away quickly. "I think... I should go." 

The tears began to run down her cheeks as she stood there, nodding silently. Her eyes stayed shut as she reached out timidly, hugging him loosely. 

"Someday, Fox... but not right now. I can't forgive anyone right now." 

"If that's the way it is..." He choked out; torn between the pain of staying and the pain of leaving. "We'll go home now... don't worry about lunch." Picking up his coat, he threw it over his arm. Pausing at the door, he looked at her. "Call me... please..." 

She nodded. "I do still care, Fox... but the past is so close..." 

************** 

Dana had wandered back to the car, leaning on the hood as she enjoyed the fall colours on the neighbouring trees. Suddenly she saw Fox stumble down the steps towards her, wiping his eyes. 

"Mulder..." He turned away from her, facing down the road. She put a hand on his arm; spinning him to face her. "Mulder..." 

"She..." A shuddering sigh came up from his soul. "She can't deal with me right now. Says that I... I'm my father's son..." He closed his eyes. "Maybe I am..." 

"Mulder..." Her hand rested on his face tenderly. "We are all our father's sons and daughters. It's what we do with our lives that make us unique." 

He nodded, his eyes still tightly closed. "We're not staying for lunch." 

"I guessed. Mom's box lunch won't go to waste, I guess." She sighed. "Come sit in the car for a bit - it's getting cool out here. And then we'll go home." 

With a compliant shrug, Fox tucked himself in the passenger side. As Dana crossed behind the car to get in the driver's seat, she looked up. 

A lone figure stood in the doorway; staring down at them. Lifting a shaking hand, she waved sadly at the couple - then walked back inside the house. Dana paused, staring at the large empty house and the tired old woman left alone... With a barely surpressed shudder she got in the car and threw the transmission into drive. 

**************** 

"Where are we going?" His shaky voice drifted out from the body beside her. 

"My place." She said firmly. 

"Look, just drop me off at home and I'll talk to you later..." Fox weakly protested. "I don't feel like much company right now..." 

"Mulder, I'm not leaving you alone tonight." She focused on the road, trying to not get mad at the day's events. "At least let me put this extra food Mom packed in your kitchen so she won't bother me about it..." 

************** 

"You cleaned." The woman kicked a loose videotape across the floor accidentally as she headed for the small kitchen. "Well, almost..." 

"I tried." Dropping onto the couch, Fox laid his head back. He was so tired... "Just leave the stuff in the fridge and I'll take care of it later. Go home, Scully..." 

She appeared in front of him, the concern in her face obvious. "Not until I'm sure you're going to be okay, Mulder..." Kneeling down, she looked into his eyes. "What she said... it hurt you, didn't it?" 

He dragged his vision away, breaking the link. "She is my mother... and she's right." 

"She is not guaranteed to be right because she is your mother." Dana protested softly. "You are your own man... you are not your father..." 

"What if I am, Scully..." His eyes roamed the ceiling. "What if I am... I let them have you..." 

"You didn't do anything of the sort." Her sharp tone sliced through his pain. "They came because I had the evidence from Barry - not because of anything you did or didn't do." The voice grew softer; flowing into his mind as he closed his eyes. "You are a good person, Fox Mulder... and don't you ever think you're not." 

He felt her sit beside him on the small couch; felt her hands pull him forward into her arms. Shaking slightly, he tried to find the strength to pull away and sit up; failing miserably. Gently she began to stroke his face and neck, humming some old Irish tune as he kept his eyes closed and tried not to see his father's face in his mind. 

She felt him began to cry softly; felt the wetness roll down his face and onto her hands as she cradled him. Eventually the harsh breathing softened as the light crossed the floor and the shadows increased their grip on the room. Tucking her feet up under her; Dana felt him finally relax and drift off into a troubled sleep. Leaning over, she kissed his cheek softly, whispering to him as she closed her eyes as well. 

"You are Fox Mulder... and you are a good man..." A sad smile appeared in the dark. "I'd put myself on the line for no one but you, Fox Mulder... no one but you..." 

************** 

Downtime II: Day 5 (5/8) by Sheryl Martin 

Lightning flashed once; illuminating the couple on the couch. A rolling clap of thunder rocked the silence to awake the smaller of the pair as the downpour started; bashing against the windows with the ferocity of nature. 

Squinting in the darkness, Dana Scully gently pushed Fox Mulder away from her; getting to her feet to close the open window. Putting her hands on the window frame; she suddenly focused in on the small bullet hole directly by the masking tape... of the contact that had been made in a very different form from what they'd been used to. Sighing, she touched the small scar on the left side of her hairline. Nothing was as it seemed... and everything was uncertain in this game. Except for the two of them; for some strange reason. 

As she turned back, the redhead sighed as she spied Mulder now fully stretched the length of the sofa; leaving her no room. Moving past him to go into the bedroom, she casually began to unbutton her blouse; wanting to get some rest before the sun came up. 

A large stack of clean laundry lay in the centre of the bed, making her chuckle. Plucking a tshirt and sweat pants from the pile, she quickly changed and slid under the blankets. 

************ 

Mulder stared up at the ceiling; disoriented for only a minute. Rolling onto his side, he yawned and stretched; feeling the cramped bones ache and complain with every movement. Tugging the annoying tie free, he scratched his chest wearily. 

"Scully?" He mumbled into the couch. "Scully... are you still here?" With a groan he got to his feet, lurching unsteadily for a minute before getting his balance. "Scully?" Swallowing to wet his throat, he remembered her being here... For a second he panicked; thinking that she had left without saying goodbye; until he saw her coat on the chair and her shoes still by the couch. 

Fox walked into the bedroom, seeing the bundle curled up in the blankets next to the other bundle of clothing. A smile appeared as he watched her for a minute; kneeling down to just watch her. 

A slight breeze waved a loose lock of auburn hair across her face as he sat on the floor; watching her take slow, steady breaths. It had not been so long ago that he had sat and watched her do the same thing; but the bed had been in a hospital; and the breathing the barest thread she had to life... 

But she had come back. And if she hadn't returned to him... A shudder ran the length of his spine as he closed his eyes at the memories. Oh, Mulder... if she hadn't come back... 

Silently leaving the room, he headed for the small disaster zone that doubled as a kitchen; trying to fight the black thoughts that were hovering on the horizon. 

*************** 

"Hmmph?" Dana wrinkled her nose at the smell of fresh coffee so close. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw the grinning form of Fox Mulder sitting beside her on the bed; offering a full mug. 

"Good morning, sunshine... Was it good for you too?" 

She took the mug, smiling. "Except for the parts I don't remember." 

"Oh, those were the parts where I made you faint." He smirked. "When you weren't screaming my name." 

"I think I was screaming for another reason - and fainting as well." She retorted; pulling her knees up under the blankets. 

"Oh..." He lightly slapped his forehead. "Right... get her drunk before you ravish her..." 

"And you forgot to even take your clothes off." She chuckled. He laughed, nodding. 

"Hey, it's been a while... I've been out of practice." 

Dana lifted an eyebrow. "What, with all the free time you have on your hands? Besides, I thought you had a life." 

"I have a life." He laughed softly, repeating the joke. "But a man can dream..." He looked into her eyes for a minute; then pulled away, standing up by the bed. 

"I've got some French toast going... be ready in a few minutes." He paused. "But, if you want to put my laundry away while you're waiting..." 

The stack of shirts smacked him in the face. "Sure I'll put them away... on the floor where they usually are..." 

************** 

Humming along with the radio, he expertly flipped the bread in the frying pan; hearing her putter around in the bathroom. 

"I've been kissed by a rose.... If I should fall..." Fox paused, feeling the lump in his throat suddenly. If he had fallen... Scully would surely be dead now and the facts about Paperclip still buried in the mountain. And would that have been such a bad thing; he heard a small voice in his heart say - to not know about his father and the position he played in the project. But Scully was alive; as was he. 

"Burnt French toast isn't my style, Mulder." He jolted out of his reverie to quickly grab the smoking slice from the pan. Dana stood beside him, a worried expression on her face. 

"Mulder... Are you feeling okay?" She touched his arm gently. "After last night... you were so upset..." 

He nodded. "My piece." Flipping a new slice into the pan, he sighed. "I just can't help thinking about it, Scully... about what he did. About what happened to me; to you... how the playing field keeps changing." 

Biting her lip, she waited for a minute before speaking. "I think... that we'll be fine." Her face lit up. "Let's go get you some fish today." 

"Did you put my shirts away?" Fox tried to joke. 

"Actually, I did." She took the plate and syrup to the table. "Along with those magazines under the bed. Quite informative, actually - though I don't recall those particular mutants being in any files in our office." 

"Hey, those are research materials..." 

"Researching sexual dysfunctions, are we?" She smiled. "Or is this more personal?" 

"Watch it, Scully..." He waved the spatula in a threatening manner. "I'm fully armed and dangerous..." 

"Like this is something new? And from what I recall you never could shoot straight..." 

************** 

The mall was quiet; with only mothers carrying children and young kids skipping school filling the stores. Dana paused by the video store for a second, reading the new rentals available list. 

"You know..." Fox leaned in close. "I've got some videos..." 

"That violate the law in about thirteen states..." She chuckled. "Sorry, I like my movies with a semblance of a plot." 

"I live for the plots." He grinned. "You're just jealous." 

"Oh, totally, Mulder." Dana laughed. "I'm going in here for a few minutes..." She motioned towards a glassware store. "Just behave..." 

"Look... fish..." He moved towards the pet store. "And they're swimming!" 

With a sigh she followed him, trying not to appear like his keeper. 

****************** 

The new occupants of the tank ducked in and out of the plants and small rock formations; amusing the two humans greatly. 

"I'll call that one Skinner... and this one X." Fox proclaimed proudly. 

"And if they survive the week, we'll have a party." 

"Oh, Scully... you have so little faith in me..." 

"In your pet keeping skills, Mulder..." She picked up the plastic bags from the sofa. "I'm going home." The redhead paused. "How about I call you tomorrow?" 

"Yah." He tried to smile, suddenly feeling very alone. "Yah, I'll call you in the morning - see what sort of trouble you've gotten yourself into without me around." 

Leaning forward, Dana looked into his eyes. "You okay?" 

"Sure..." He half-smiled. "Guess we can't spend the entire week together... "I'll talk to you later." 

She walked to the door, trying to understand the feelings in her gut. "Right... later, Mulder." 

He looked down through the broken window at the woman as she got into the car, pulling out into traffic. Poking a finger into the bullet hole, he turned to see the indentation in the wall; where she had dug out the slug. If it had hit her in the head... he lowered his hand from where the top of her head would be in comparison to his chest. The heart, dead centre. Maybe it wasn't such a great thing, being so tall. Sighing deeply, Fox turned to face the empty apartment. 

******************* 

Dana looked around the vacant room; frowning. Something was wrong... She tripped over the dishtowel on the floor at the front door; the one hiding the bloodstains... Then she smiled to herself; realising what was missing... 

Fox Mulder. 

And she didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the emptiness he had left in his wake. But there was always something to do in this place - and she had another few days to do whatever... 

****************** 

He watched the fish swim in lazy circles; dodging each other as they began to fight and bite each other. Maybe a week... 

Picking up the daily paper from where he had tossed it on the couch, he flopped down to read it; turning to the sports section first. A shadow caught the edge of his eye, and he turned suddenly with a smile.... To see no one. Suddenly he realised what was missing from the small room - what had taken away the warmth and left only the bare bones. 

Dana Scully. 

With a heavy sigh Fox picked up the loose videotapes; sliding them into a pile. As he inserted the first tape into the VCR, he suddenly felt more lonely than he had ever been in his life... And they had four more days before they could get back to work. 

***************** 

Curled up on the sofa, Dana chuckled at the sitcom. She had napped more than anything else today; choosing to relax and not think about Missy... Though her mother seemed to be coping... which was all you could ask for. Maybe tomorrow she would talk to the landlord and see about ripping up the wood at the front door - she just couldn't handle walking over that every day... Reaching for the remote control, she changed channels over to the basketball game, not knowing why. 

**************** 

He sat on the couch, listening to the game as he stared at the ceiling. Not even watching the best of his tapes had broken the melancholy he felt. Turning over, Fox reached for the control and turned the television off. Closing his eyes with a deep sigh, he wondered if he would ever not have to sleep alone... A soft smile crept across his face as he fell asleep; his hands twitching as he recalled the touch and feel of having her in his arms... and the memory made him strong enough to fight the night demons. 

**************** 

She turned over on the sofa; slipping easily into dreamland with the sounds of the late-night news disappearing in the distance. For a long, leisurely moment she felt it; felt a hand resting lightly on her waist... the comfort of being held safe and secure... Dana let out a soft sigh, letting herself fall into a deep sleep free of any nightmares. 

******************** 

Downtime II: Day 6 (6/8) by Sheryl Martin 

Dana Scully yawned; pulling the blanket tighter around her neck as she became aware of the blaring cartoon soundtrack shooting out of her television set. With a practised motion, she turned the sound down with three quick taps of her finger on the remote, then turned over to look at the clock on the VCR. 

"Eleven... oh, god..." She had managed to throw most of the day away already. Wonderful. And her head was aching something awful... 

Staggering to the bathroom, she threw back two aspirin and put the kettle on for some coffee; trying to not think about what she had been dreaming about - because it was too tempting to go back to sleep and try and continue it... 

Stirring the spoon in the mug, she looked out the window. Dark and menacing clouds hovered on the horizon; not lifting her spirits any. The forecast had been for intermittent storms all weekend; which effectively trapped her in either the house or the mall... and with the suspension she didn't exactly have extra money to spare. Maybe some movies tonight... Mulder might like that. 

Picking up the phone, the young woman looked at it for a minute. It was almost becoming automatic that she call him when she woke up; unless she was going to see him at work in a few hours. But since they had spent most of the past week together during their enforced vacation; she really couldn't think of a really valid reason to call him. A work-related reason. A reason other than "I want to see you, Mulder." 

Taking a deep breath, she refused to listen to the little voice in the back of her mind, choosing to head for the shower. It was the weekend. Hurrah. 

**************** 

With a deep sigh he stood under the hot water; letting it run over his body as he tried to collect his thoughts. It was Saturday... already. If only Skinner had been able to extradite that paperwork faster and quicker; then he'd be back to work with Scully and all this would be put to one side until later on.. 

When he wanted to deal with it. Which would be never. 

So now he had to deal with it. And today had to be the day. 

Fox Mulder stepped out of the shower; letting the water soak the towel at his feet as he scrubbed his hair dry. It was time to try and patch things up with the dead... He caught sight of his reflection in the fogged-over mirror and bit his lip. 

Because all he could see was his eyes. His father's eyes. 

*************** 

The graveyard was quiet and solemn; the fresh rain from the previous day and night still soaking into the grass. A few mourners and visitors paced back and forth between the rows of headstones; the low murmuring of prayers and confessions punctuated by the occasional sob. A caretaker at the front gate stood solemnly, offering assistance and help to whoever wanted it. A tall man in a trench coat walked up to him, smiling awkwardly. 

"I'm looking for a grave." Great going, Mulder. "I mean, I need a map of the site." Don't tell him that you don't even know where your father is buried. With a nod, the elderly man passed him a piece of paper, with the most recent burials outlined in red. Running his finger down the page, the FBI agent found the name. Mulder, William. 

Looking at the map, Fox traced the path through the cemetery to one of the newer graves; one set further back than the rest but still surrounded by plenty of company. None of it alive. Turning around, he felt unseen eyes on his back; but the only people nearby were a long way away at another memorial. 

"Okay." He exhaled sharply, closing his eyes and running his tongue over his teeth apprehensively. 

"Hi, Dad." He squatted down by the marble tombstone, suddenly unsure how to start. And there must be something to this talking aloud to the dead. Look it up when you get home, Mulder. He forced his mind back to the present and to the situation at hand. 

"Ah... I'm sorry I couldn't be here before... I was kinda dying thanks to an old friend of yours." The sarcasm still shot through the pain. "And thanks for not telling me the truth. Mom's tearing herself to pieces over it." This was not the way he had pictured it in his mind; this visit... 

Sinking to his knees in the damp soil, he stared at the engraved name set in the marble. "I just wish... I wish you had been able to tell me before... But I don't know why... maybe you were afraid that I'd hate you; maybe they still had a hold on you and threatened me or Mom... but you should have told me." Fox lowered his head. "Now that I know you chose me over Sam... I feel worse for anything I ever thought about you..." Inhaling sharply; he reached out, tracing the depict name. "But now I want to find her even more; tell her that it wasn't her fault; that she didn't do anything to deserve this - just that you... you loved me more." The hand clenched. "And you gave her up..." 

The fist slammed into the stone; scraping and cutting the knuckles. He hammered both hands into the monument over and over again; pounding against the name and the marble. 

"Mulder..." A hand fell on his shoulder; soft and warm. "Mulder... stop, please." 

He looked up, the tears running down his cheeks. Dana knelt down, pulling his hands away from the tombstone. 

"You've done enough. Let it go." She held the bloody hands in her own for a minute, staring at the torn and raw skin. "Come and let me clean these up." 

"Scully... I..." He shook his head, trying to find the words. 

"Hush. Let's go home." She whispered softly. "Let's leave this place." 

He nodded; letting her pull him to his feet and lead him out of the graveyard. Behind them, the hidden microphones and cameras followed their departure in silence. 

**************** 

She dipped his hands in the oversized bowl of cold water, turning to unpack the first aid kit. He sighed as the ice began to deaden the pain. 

"How did you know where to find me?" Fox said quietly. 

"I called you once and got no answer. I figured that other than buying more fish; that would be the most likely place to find you." She withdrew his right hand, dabbing it dry with a towel. "And then I saw your car in the parking lot when I drove in." 

"Thanks." He watched impassively as she quietly and effectively cleaned the scrapes and applied the antiseptic ointment; bandaging one hand and then the other. "I... I didn't know what to say to him." 

"Well, it is a one-sided conversation, Mulder." Dana looked down at him. "Although if he had started to talk back I would seriously consider psychiatric help..." 

He returned her smile; chuckling softly to himself. "Yah, I guess so." Flexing the first hand, he nodded. "Not bad for a pathologist." 

"Watch it, or I'll show you my new techniques for extracting the brain through the nose cavity." She slapped him lightly on the arm; her eyes bright with anticipation. 

"Oh, I'm terrified now." He sat silently at the table for a minute. "Scully..." He licked his lips, chewing on the bottom one for a minute. "Your father... how did you know that he loved you?" 

She paused for a second, holding the gauze in one hand. "He... I know that he loved me. And that he always will." 

"Do you think my father still loves me?" The question came out in a low whisper. 

"Mulder; what he did was in another time and place - and maybe someday you might understand; or never." She sighed, sitting down beside him. "I don't know what the circumstances were, but it was a crazy time right after the War... not that it excuses what they did; but at the time it seemed right to them." She finished taping his hand. "He was your father. And he loved you very much... no matter what you may think." 

"Okay." The undecided voice tore at her heart. "I'll work on it." 

Moving to toss the used bandages into the garbage, Dana tried to smile. "Now that you're crippled for a day or so, what's left on your schedule for this wonderful Saturday?" 

Fox shrugged. "How about a few movies and Chinese food?" He lifted his bandaged hands. "I put my vote in for Hook; Rogue Male and Friday the 13th..." 

"Not on my VCR, Mulder..." She warned. "I have enough nightmares without you helping add on any more..." With a laugh she pulled on her coat. "Let's go see what we can get to cheer you up." 

"Oh, I know what would do that..." 

"Shut up, Mulder... Or I'll show you exactly what you can do with medical tape..." 

******************* 

"Okay, here it is. Pulp Fiction, Henry V... and Akira." Mulder held up the tapes, wincing. "You can live with this?" 

"Well, it's as good as we're going to get, after arguing here for two hours. Dana laughed. "I'll meet you at the car." 

She looked out through the windshield as the dark clouds opened up again; a slight drizzle spotting the glass in front of her. Fox slid into the seat beside her with a grin. 

"They just happened to have an extra copy of La Femme Nikita..." With a resigned sigh, she threw the car into drive almost before he had a chance to shut the door. 

************** 

"Well, we could just wait it out." He said hopefully. They had been sitting outside Dana's building for fifteen minutes as the rain poured down - and the one umbrella in her possession was safe and dry inside her apartment. She pursed her lips thoughtfully. 

"We could run for it... Only be a few yards..." 

************** 

"I thought you said only a few yards." 

"It was." Dana dropped her coat on the floor, hearing the sickening squish of soaked material. "It was raining a lot, Mulder..." She turned to look at the soaked man, his hair plastered to his face as he held out the bag of tapes. A chuckle escaped her as her eyes travelled down the wet shirt that had happened when he hadn't buttoned up his coat; to the muddy shoes and socks that had been the victim of their sprint across the front lawn. "You get into the bathroom and start drying off - I'll find something for you to wear." 

He wagged a finger. "I know this trick - you're going to steal my clothes and send me home nude." 

"In your dreams, Mulder... now get in there before you catch cold and I have to explain this to Skinner." 

*************** 

Lying back on the sofa in a well worn sweatshirt and pants that he had somehow left behind, Mulder watched her putter around the kitchen, searching for the wine and the glasses before the Chinese food arrived. 

"Mulder..." The disembodied voice travelled across the room. "Why do you think that we keep spending so much time together when we're not working?" 

Frowning, he waited until she appeared with the wine. "I really don't know. I guess I could look it up in a journal about co-dependency and all that..." Taking the bottle and corkscrew from her, he grinned. "Or we don't have anyone else to bug." 

"Oh, that's the reason why." Plopping down on the sofa, she accepted the goblet gracefully. "Hate to think that you liked my company." 

"It's pure torture at times, Scully." Taking a sip, he reached for the remote control. "And I love being tortured..." 

"Why does that not surprise me at all, Mulder?" Laughing, she put the glass down and leaned against him; curling her feet up on the sofa. "So let's torture you some more..." 

"You're not going to make me watch Chicago Hope, are you?" 

"You got it... and maybe Law and Order if you don't behave yourself." 

"And then the movies..." 

"And then the movies... 'cause if I fall asleep it won't bother me." 

"But I like to bother you, Scully... it's my second favourite habit." 

"Don't you dare tell me your first..." 

******************** Downtime II: Day 7 (7/8) by Sheryl Martin 

Fox Mulder lifted his head from the frying pan, taking a deep breath of the bacon cooking. With a grin he reached for the egg tray; grabbing a half-dozen out of the refrigerator. 

"Cholesterol. I'm going to die of cholesterol." He snickered to himself; enjoying the inside joke. As he watched the bacon begin to splatter grease across the small kitchen; he turned the heat down and wandered into the living room. 

Dana Scully was still asleep on the couch; her baggy FBI sweatshirt and pants blending in with the blanket Fox had tucked around her when he had slipped out to start breakfast. Kneeling down to rest his arms on the back of the couch, he just watched her for a minute; thinking and listening to the radio blaring from her bedroom. 

"She is sleeping now, softly in the night, And in my heart of darkness she has been the only light, I am lost in love, looking at her face, And still I hear the voice of reason Telling me to chase these dreams away. Oh here we go again, we're divided from the start, For we cannot live together, and we cannot live apart. It's the classical dilemma between the head and the heart..." 

She stirred slowly, opening her eyes to see him staring at her. For a dreamy moment she thought he was on the edge of crying... 

"Mulder... Why are you staring at me?" Dana stretched her arms above her head in a long, cat-like stretch. 

"Because you're better to watch than MTV." He got to his feet. "Bacon and eggs..." Turning his head quickly towards the kitchen, he sniffed the air. "Ah, burnt bacon and eggs..." 

*************** 

"So, it's Sunday..." 

"So, it's Sunday." Dana watched in disbelief as he loaded up his plate. "Remind me to give you some of my medical magazines on eating disabilities..." 

He pouted. "You'd deny a dying man his last wish?" 

She put her chin on her hand; playing along. "Mulder, you're not dying." 

"Well, I was." Scooping a forkful of eggs into his mouth, he smirked. 

"And if that's your last wish, then I've greatly underestimated you." She picked up her plate and swept by him, ignoring the choking man in her wake. 

When he could speak again, he turned towards the kitchen. "So what have you got planned for today?" 

She paused; filling the sink with water and soap. "I don't know... I'm set up for tomorrow for work..." A sigh escaped her. "I should call Mom and see if she's alright... I don't want to hover over her, but if she's not handling this..." 

"She seemed fine when we left." Fox leaned back in the chair. "Why don't you call; and if you want we can drive back up for the afternoon... but I've got to be home tonight." 

"Gee, thanks. Like I'm keeping you here." She raised an eyebrow. He smiled. 

"Your kitchen has food in it. Mine has biological hazards. I rest my case." 

"Too much Law and Order, obviously..." 

************ 

"She's fine." Dana put the cel phone down, looking towards the bathroom where she heard him come out of the shower. "Says to just spend the day doing whatever we want." 

"Oh, that's leaving the field wide open..." Fox's muffled voice came through the door. 

"And it's still raining a bit..." She paused. "Want to go to the museum? Go get some more tapes? Go sneak back into our office and start work early?" 

"I like the last one." The bathroom door opened. "But you know they won't let us past the metal detectors without confirmed access." He saw her flinch slightly. "Scully?" 

She pulled her feet up beside her on the sofa, closing her eyes. Striding across the room; Mulder moved to sit next to her. "Scully..." 

A tear broke loose, rolling down her face. "That's... that's where I first found the implant... I was going through the detectors because I was suspended..." A choked whimper came up through her throat. "And I don't know how long it's been in there..." 

He frowned. "What do you mean?" 

"Mulder, that could have been put in any time I was in the hospital. Any time we were in quarantine. Any time I wasn't awake... And they know so much about me and I don't know anything..." Putting her face in her hands, she began to sob quietly. "So much I don't know..." 

Wrapping his arms around her, he sighed. "Oh, Scully..." Fox swallowed; not sure what to say. He knew he didn't have any implant - the Gunmen usually ran their detectors over him on random visits; and probably that was one of the reasons why they hadn't bothered to tag him. But Scully hardly ever came along... and she was right. 

"Guess you feel like a hunting dog, hmm?" He gently joked into her hair, rocking her slowly. The short laugh make him smile. "It's out now... and we'll set the Gunmen on it and we'll turn the tables on them and find out where they're operating from." 

"It's just so scary, Mulder." She sat up suddenly, wiping her eyes. "I mean, to lose three months and then to find out that I'm nothing more to them than a tracking pigeon... telling them where we are; what we're doing..." 

"Not everything, Scully." He softly retorted. "Not everything." His eyes met hers. "There are lots of places that they can't ever get into ; can't ever find out what's inside..." 

They sat quietly for a long minute; just staring into each other's eyes. Finally Dana lifted a shaking hand to cradle his cheek in her palm; seeing his gentle smile. 

"And what do you see when you look into those places, Mulder..." She whispered. 

"I see..." He lowered his eyes, breaking the contact. "The stars and the sky... And some parts of us no one will ever own..." His eyes lifted again to spark with hers. "And some parts already belong to others..." 

Fox heard her sharp intake of breath; felt a tremble along her hand where it sat on his cheek. Closing his eyes; he held his breath; not daring to move or speak. 

"Yes..." Her reply drifted through the silence to him. "Some parts do belong to others... and they always will..." The hand lifted from his cheek; the fingers caressing slightly as they ran down and off his chin. Suddenly he felt a soft kiss on his forehead; sending his heart shuddering in his chest. 

Still with his eyes closed; he heard her get to her feet and slip from the couch. The soft padding of her feet led towards the bathroom; and the door closed as the shower began to run. 

Opening his eyes; Fox took a deep breath. "Someday, Dana Scully..." 

****************** 

"... And then they got upset because I started telling them about that fluke thing you found..." Jackie's annoyed tone of voice made Fox grin. "I mean, just because we were eating Italian and I was having manicotti..." 

He turned to see Dana in a bathrobe heading for her bedroom, shaking her head as she passed him lying on the sofa; the cel phone to his ear. 

"Well, I think you might have chosen a more appropriate subject matter..." He laughed. "But you're back and safe?" 

"Back, yes... safe..." He heard the hesitation. "They ripped my place up pretty well looking for your dammed tape, Mulder. I'm checking it for bugs and such before I settle down again." She sighed. "And it was rough at the graves... I think I need to talk a bit." 

"Sure." He closed his eyes. "I've got nothing tomorrow except starting the new cases... how about you give me a call around noon, and I'll see if we can get together after work? But no promises..." 

"You got it." She fell silent for a minute. "I just spoke to Mom... ah, Margaret. Tells me that she enjoyed you two visiting." He heard the chuckle. "Tells me that she caught you two in front of the fireplace one morning... but fully-clothed." 

"St. George..." He could feel his face begin to redden. Scully appeared; wearing a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved sweater. She frowned at his bewildered expression. 

"Hey, who am I to ask why you two were snuggling on the floor all night? Who am I except your best friend - both your best friend? Who am I..." 

"Except a pain in the butt." Dana plucked the phone away from his ear, laughing. "You have a dirty mind, Jackie." 

"Moi? You're rolling on the ground with your partner in your mother's home and I have the dirty mind? Moi?" 

"Goodbye, Jackie... See you later on." Punching the disconnection button; she dropped the phone on his lap. "I see you're going to be having a great session with her tomorrow..." 

"Oh, and like she's not going to give you the third degree next lunch at Brandy's..." He chuckled. "You can always tell her that I was wonderful..." 

"Then I would be lying." Dana got to her feet. "Let's go for a walk; then I'll throw something together for dinner." 

Laughing, he let her pull him to his feet. "Okay... but I'm not responsible for any women throwing themselves at my feet..." 

"I'll remember that - and bring the large butterfly net." 

************* 

They walked through the park, seeing some of the trees already changing colour and losing their leaves; carpeting the grass with a multi-coloured carpet of browns, reds and greens. 

"So where do we go from here?" Dana tucked a loose strand of hair behind one ear as a cool breeze shot across the trail. Fox shrugged, pulling his trench coat tight around him. 

"We go on. There's not a lot of choice involved in this... Well, not for me." He stopped to look at her. "I won't be upset if you decide to ask for a transfer... I mean, Skinner would probably approve it without any questions." 

Her face grew tense as she stomped ahead of him at a rapid pace; accelerating away from him. Confused, he gave chase. 

"Scully? Scully!" Trotting up behind her, he grabbed her arm to pull her to a stop. "What..." 

"How dare you..." The words came out in a low hiss; chilling his heart. "How dare you ask me to walk away from this and pretend that none of it ever happened... that what they did to me, to you... to Missy... to go back to Quantico and play the game and maybe get a nice corner office of my own... how dare you!" For a second he thought she might slap him, but instead she just stood there, shaking with anger. 

"I said there was no justice, Mulder... but there is revenge. And I want to look those bastards in the eye and ask why... ask them to justify what they did and then decide what to do... but I can't do it behind a desk." She paused, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "I need to look them in the face and tell them that it didn't work; that they didn't break me... didn't break us and the X-Files. And they won't." She looked into his face. "And if you request my transfer I will never forgive you." Her stern tone reminded him of her mother, and a part of him smiled inside. 

"Scully, that was never my intention." He spread his hands, asking forgiveness. "I just didn't want you to feel trapped with me in this... I won't think any less of you if you want to leave; if you decide that you've had enough. I won't..." He pleaded. "I do want..." His voice dropped. "I want you to stay with me..." 

The redhead sheepishly smiled, then nodded. "You think I'm letting you go out there alone again, you've got another thing coming, Mulder." Hooking her arm around his, she led him down the path. "Besides, who else would put up with you?" 

"Who else, indeed..." 

******************** 

"So." Fox stood at the front door, putting his coat back on. "Thanks for dinner." 

Dana laughed, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. "Whipping up spaghetti isn't rocket science, Mulder. But thanks for helping with the dishes again. You'll make someone a good house-husband someday." 

"Gee, thanks. Better put that on my resume." He paused at the door, chewing on his lip. "So... I guess I'll see you in the office tomorrow morning." He felt his heart sink at the idea of leaving. 

"Yah, I guess..." She stood in front of him quietly. "It's been a rough week, hasn't it?" 

"For both of us." He hesitantly lifted a hand, touching her cheek gently with a finger. "But I think we'll be okay. Both of us." 

"We will be." She didn't pull away from his touch. "I had a good time, though..." Dana swallowed, pushing the feelings down into her gut where she could figure them out later. "I appreciated your company visiting Mom... and she likes having you around anyway." 

"Well, I like her. Reminds me a lot of you." He let his hand drop. "Sweet Dreams, Scully... I'll see you in the morning." 

"Yes..." She opened the door, feeling him brush by her. "I'll be there. Good night..." 

Closing the door, the woman put her back to it, leaning hard against it. Her eyes clenched shut, she let out a sigh from her heart. Back to work, Dana Katherine Scully. Plenty of time to think those thoughts on your own time... whenever that was... 

**************** 

Fox stepped inside the darkened apartment, flicking on the lights. He sighed, seeing the dead fish bobbing on the top of the water. X. Oh, well... it had almost been a week. Tossing his coat to one side, he loosened his tie and turned on the computer. Maybe a few hours of surfing the Net would cheer him up. Then back to work... A smile crossed his face at the anticipation of walking into the office tomorrow and finding her there, that smirk on her face when he mentioned a new case; her look of disbelief as he reeled off a new theory. There were some benefits to this job that paperwork just couldn't supply... 

************************ Downtime II:Day 8 (8/8) by Sheryl Martin 

Opening an eye wearily, Fox Mulder focused in on the apartment ceiling. It was Monday. Back to work. A small smile touched his lips at the thought. Rolling off the couch onto the floor; he felt like a kid on the first day of school. And the teacher wasn't bad, either... 

Dana Scully slammed her hand down on the clock radio; stifling a yawn as she swung her feet over the edge of the bed. Why did you always feel like you needed a vacation when you got back from a vacation? Stumbling along the floor into the kitchen, she put the coffee on and pulled down two mugs... then smiled as she put one back. Not today... But maybe this weekend... 

************* 

He was first into the office, humming merrily to himself as he slid past the security and down the stairs into the basement. Pulling his keys from his pocket, he fumbled for a second before finding the right one and unlocking the door. 

The stale air smelt like roses to him after so long. Turning on all the lights, Fox hit the power bar to boot up the computers and wandered around the small room; making sure nothing had been 'borrowed' by other office staff. Suddenly he paused in front of the poster; his joy at returning being rapped on the knuckles by the size of the task he had undertaken. 

Reaching out, he gently ran his fingers along the picture; down to the the logo 'I Want To Believe'. 

"I do want to..." He let out a deep sigh, pulling the bruised knuckles back to his chest. "I still do... but sometimes the price is so high..." Biting hard on his lower lip, Fox turned away. 

The door swung open; revealing a figure swamped with an armful of files. Taking a few strides across the room to save her; he grinned as he peeled away the top batch to reveal Dana's unhappy face. 

"Good morning, Scully." He waved at the office. "Ready to go?" 

"Don't get your jogging shoes on yet." She warned. Dumping the files on her desk, the redhead held up two large, thick, menacing folders. He watched in horror as she advanced on him; tossing one into his lap. "Paperwork." 

************* 

Mulder flipped his glasses onto his desk; rubbing the bridge of his nose. Putting his head down on his crossed arms, he ignored Scully's snort of derision from across the room. 

"You know..." He mumbled. "I think it might have been better if I stayed dead. God knows there'd be more of the rain forest left after today." 

She sighed, leaning back in her chair and rubbing her eyes under her glasses. "I know. I can barely remember my own name; much less sign it again." 

"So, let's blow this joint." The soft female voice shocked them both. Turning quickly, the two agents saw Jackie St. George leaning on the front door. "Hey, they won't miss you for another two days..." 

"Don't tempt me..." Mulder groaned, flipping the folder shut on his desk. "I thought you were going to call." 

"They're busy sweeping my office again. I don't trust your side any more than I ever did, Mulder..." She smiled. "And it is past twelve." 

Dana looked at her watch in shock. "It is... we've been doing this for over three hours!" Fox rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. Jackie snickered; perching herself atop his desk. 

"But what I want to know..." She proclaimed in her Max Headroom voice. "What I want to know is..." Bending over, she whispered into his ear. "Did you use the cuffs again?" 

Sweeping her off the top of her desk with a firm hand, he could feel his face redden as she landed on the floor; covered with all the forms he had been so carefully sorting and signing. He could hear Dana choking back a laugh across the room. 

Sitting cross legged on top of the wads of paper; the Canadian roared. "God, I love it when you get aggressive, Mulder." Getting to her feet, she began to scoop up handfuls of paperwork and deposit them on his lap. "Don't forget to put down that request for a transfer to Alaska..." 

"Probably be the safest place for me." He grumbled. She chuckled as she headed for the door. 

"Well, if you two won't come out and play, I'll just go back and see what Rosie's doing - I think she's working on some elevator story." Jackie frowned. "I have to find more work for that woman to do..." She paused for a second. "So we're back in business?" 

He smiled. "The X Files are open and ready to go." 

"Kicking ass and taking names..." She laughed. "I really missed this..." 

"Call me tonight, okay?" Fox smiled. "Let me get through this silliness and then we'll see what we can arrange as far as getting together goes..." 

"You got it." She winked at Dana. "Oh, your mother says that Dana Scully-Mulder is a wonderful name..." Deftly ducking the incoming paper balls, the CSIS agent closed the door behind her. 

"You should not let her talk to your mother." Fox winced as he felt a paper cut open up on a finger. Flexing the still sore hands; he could feel the burning look from across the room. "Besides, what does Margaret know?" Getting to his feet, he waved the injured digit in the air as he began to walk. 

"Come here." Dana smiled. He obediently did so, holding out his hand to her. Sighing, she opened the desk drawer and pulled out a bandage. "She's just... a hopeless romantic." 

"Aren't you going to kiss it better?" He joked. She looked at the finger, then slowly dragged her eyes up his arm to eventually meet his eyes. He could feel the heat in his face and suddenly felt a little short of breath. With a sly smile she shook her head; quickly putting the bandage on. 

"Not yet, Mulder..." She raised an eyebrow. "Not until we're engaged..." 

Leaning back against her desk; he smiled. "You are such a tease..." Crossing his arms, the agent let his gaze travel over her openly; liking what he saw. "And let's call her a hopeful romantic..." 

"I can live with that." Dana tore her eyes free to look down again at the forms crossing the top of the desk. With a nod Fox moved back to his own pile of paperwork and retrieved his glasses. Extracting a thicker file from the stack, he flipped it open; pursing his lips. 

"Scully... what do you know about lightning..." 

She met his eyes with a soft smile; feeling the connection between them grow stronger with every minute. It was time to get back to work. And it felt great. 

*********************** Downtime III - Day One (1/8) by Sheryl Martin 

Assistant Director Skinner rapped lightly on the hospital room door; waiting a few discreet minutes before opening it. Fox Mulder lay sprawled over one of the chairs, his eyes closed and his hands dangling off the armrests. Dana Scully looked up in surprise, then nodded at Skinner's gentle nod. Getting to her feet, she quietly slipped out of the room. 

"I've got to get back to Washington." Skinner said. He looked down the hall where the other agents stood. "I've made reservations for the two of you at a hotel down the road." Putting up his hand to stop her from speaking, he continued. "Believe me, this isn't out of any gratitude from the Bureau. It's best that the two of you lie low for a few days until things settle down at the office; and given the medical condition of his mother..." He let the sentence go unfinished. 

"Thank you, sir." Scully murmured, her eyes beginning to droop from a mixture of weariness and relief. 

"Here's the information." He pressed a slip of paper into her hand. "Just take care of Mulder - I know this is hard on him." His voice dropped. "And I need a full report when you can put one together about what happened. By the end of the week, if you can. I know it's going to be rough to get information out of him, but do the best you can. I need ammunition to support your case." 

"Yes sir. Thank you." 

Skinner wrinkled his nose. "No offence, Agent Scully... but you smell like gasoline." 

"I know sir - it's Mulder." 

"Thank God no one's smoking around here." 

********** 

After Skinner had left, she had gone to the nurses station and wrangled a set of medical scrubs from them; explaining the problem and evoking a bit of sympathy - and from the younger nurses, a bit of envy. 

Opening the door as quietly as she could, she checked the monitors hooked up to the unconscious woman before putting a hand on Mulder's shoulder. 

He started, eyes wildly searching the room until he found himself. "Scully..." He shook his head. "I must have dozed off..." 

"You need rest. And a shower." A light tug brought him to his feet. "There's a hotel down the street..." 

"But my mother." He protested weakly. 

"I've left the information with the desk. They'll call - and you won't do her any good by making yourself sick like this." She tried to smile. "And if she saw you like this she'd probably slap you silly." 

A feeble smile forced its way onto his face as he nodded. "All right. But only for a few hours." 

********* 

Scully noted that Skinner had booked two rooms; but with a door connecting them. And both large rooms; a step up from some of the closets they had been in. Unlocking Mulder's room, she let him stagger in ahead of her; heading for the bed where he sat down wearily. 

"Shower." She stated. He looked at her blankly. 

"I'm kinda travelling light, Scully..." He spread his hands. "No overnight bag..." 

She held up the set of dark screen scrubs. "I'm one ahead of you. Let me get those to the hotel cleaners while you hop into the shower." 

"In a minute - I have to make a phone call..." Before she could protest, he was already dialling. "St. George?" 

"Mulder?" The voice was a mixture of barely contained anger and concern. "Well, welcome back." 

"Listen, there's a farm in Alberta - I need you to go there and find her again." 

"Find who? And where in Alberta? Hell, you can lose Rhode Island in that province..." 

"Samantha. I need you to find them again. The clones." 

Silence. 

"Is Scully there?" St. George said softly. "Give her the phone, Mulder." 

Wordlessly he passed the receiver over, trying not to laugh. 

"Scully..." 

"Is he as bad as he sounds? And what has he been drinking?" 

"Actually, he's just tired - but you do have to go to this farm. Did you get a chance to delete the entrance to Canada like I asked?" 

"Easy - the border computers are linked into the Embassy. I wiped the car he was in; along with the airline tickets... but he ordered three and only used one - did I miss something there?" 

"No... it's a long story. But if you can go out and see if this farm is there, it's be a big favour he owes you." 

"I'll add it to the pile. Put him back on and let me get the information." Her voice changed. "And then you put him to bed, okay? He sounds like crap." 

"I will." 

"Alone is not mandatory, you know." 

"Shut up, St. George." With a chuckle she handed the phone back to Mulder. "Give her the location - as best as you can." 

Heading into the bathroom, Scully turned on the shower and adjusted the water to just above scalding; listening to Mulder try to give the information to the Canadian. Pulling down one of the large hotel towels, she put it on the counter; beside the green clothing. 

Exiting the room, she watched Mulder put the phone down. "She thinks I'm crazy." 

"She's thought that before." 

"I told her to be careful - if they catch her, they'll kill her." 

"She'll be careful." Another tug on his shoulder brought him up off the bed; the dank smell wrapping around them both. "Now into the shower with you. Just toss the clothing out when you're ready and I'll hand them off to the cleaners." 

"You don't want to help?" Exhausted as he was, Mulder raised an eyebrow invitingly. 

She chuckled. "Nothing I haven't seen before, Mulder. And I wasn't impressed then." With a grin at his feigned hurt expression, she pushed him towards the steam-filled room. "In." 

He groaned in protest, shutting the door behind him. Soon it opened a few inches as the shirt and tie flew out; followed almost immediately by the pants; socks and boxers. The shoes she had already. 

Gathering them up quickly, Scully put them into a plastic bag and called the hotel desk; explaining that they had had an accident filling up the car. The boy who showed up at the door carried it a good three feet ahead of him; treating it like nuclear waste. 

Closing the door, Scully busied herself with turning down the bed and ordering a pair of club sandwiches from room service. Small tentacles of steam crept out from under the bottom of the bathroom door, comforting her somehow. She could hear Mulder stumbling around in the shower; banging into the tiles every once in a while as he cursed and dropped the soap. 

The food arrived just as the water cut off in the shower. Putting it on the table, she grabbed one small square and began to nibble it, waiting. A few minutes later Mulder walked out; his head shrouded in a towel as he rubbed his hair vigorously. The hospital clothing hung off his frame in an almost-perfect fit - the nurses had good eyes. Mind you, most of them hadn't been able to take them off Mulder from the first time he had hit the floor, to be fair. 

Giving his hair one last vicious shake, he tossed the towel back into the bathroom; probably on the floor. He stared at the sandwiches and coffee eagerly, hearing a growl from his stomach. 

"For me?" 

"For you. And then I want to look at those scratches. And then to bed." 

"Why Scully, I thought you'd at least want to have a bit of foreplay first." Munching happily on his slice, he ignored the futile shaking of her head. 

"Mulder, you're incorrigible." 

"Thank you." His voice suddenly went from cheerful and playful to a weary, tired tone. "Is she going to make it?" 

Scully bit her lip. "I don't know. She might be like this for months..." His face dropped. "Or she could wake up tomorrow. We still know so little about this area..." Reaching out, she tucked a soggy lock of hair away from his forehead. "But we'll talk about that after you grab some sleep." 

"You'll call me if they call." It was a demand, not a question. 

"You know I will." 

They finished their sandwiches in silence, Scully watching carefully as he cleaned the plate. Getting up, he walked over to sit on the bed. 

"Alright, Scully - give me the once-over." 

Opening up her medical bag that always travelled with her, Scully sat down beside him as he pulled off his shirt. Huge bluish bruises covered his chest; making her suck in her breath at first glance. 

"They don't hurt much..." His voice turned into a yelp as she gently stroked one particular nasty-looking bruise; just below his left ribs. "Well, not if you don't touch them..." 

"Hmm..." Her voice took on that professional tone that he liked to hear. "Probably nothing broken, from the way you're moving." Another gentle poke and he winced. "Maybe a few pulled muscles; but no fractures - though I'd like to get you in for a full set of x-rays to make sure." 

"I've had enough of those to glow in the dark." He protested, feeling the weariness begin to overtake him. "I'm tired, Scully. I want to sleep." 

"Fine with me." Getting to her feet, she smiled. "I think you're fine, anyway. Just another set of bruises that look worse than they are." A gentle shove on one uncoloured patch of skin on his chest sent him falling to the mattress. "Go to sleep, Mulder. I'll be next door." She gestured at the open door connecting their rooms. "Just call if you need me. I need to get out of these clothes as well." 

"Gee, if I had known that I could have saved the hotel some water and shared the shower with you." He joked, stifling a yawn as he pulled the sheets up over him. 

"Dream on, Mulder." Scully turned off the lights, heading for the other room. "We'll pick it up in the morning." 

"Scully?" The voice came out of the darkness; making her hesitate at the doorway. 

"Yes?" 

"She was really pretty, you know." The voice grew weary and dreamy. "She was so pretty - I'd forgotten how nice she looked with her hair in tails." 

"Who?" 

"Samantha." The name came out in a prayer. "She was so small... barely up to my waist... and her hand so tiny in mine..." 

"Did she remember you?" 

"No..." A soft cry in the darkness; so faint that she could have sworn it was the bed creaking. "I looked into her eyes and told her who I was and she just stared at me..." 

Making her way back into the room, Scully sat on the edge of the bed; feeling Mulder next to her. Reaching out, she stroked the back of his neck. 

"She probably just didn't recognise you. After all, it's been a long time." 

"She was a clone." He said simply. "But I thought that somewhere in there was a bit of her mind; of what she used to be..." His head rolled to one side, leaning heavily on Scully's side. "I wanted her to remember me..." 

"Maybe she did. After all, she did decide to go with you." Scully whispered, feeling him begin to grow heavier on her. The groggy voice confirmed her suspicions. 

"She did, didn't she?" It was said so low that she might not have caught it if she hadn't been so close. 

"Of course." Lifting her hand free, she gently laid his head back on the soggy pillow. "Because you are her big brother." 

"..." The words were jumbled, but she could just make out the smile in the dim light coming in from her room. Getting off the bed carefully, she tucked the blankets around him. 

"Sweet dreams, Mulder." Scully whispered. 

***************** Downtime III - Day Two (2/8) by Sheryl Martin 

She left the door open between their two rooms; the bathroom light on in her room so she could see him if she wanted to. Just in case. 

Curling up on top of the bedcovers, Scully stared at the laptop screen; willing it to write the report itself. When that failed, she turned it off and tossed it to the bottom of the bed. 

She didn't know where to start. 

Because then she'd have to try and work towards a theory; an explanation for all they'd done and seen - and going by what she had seen when she had expounded on the smallpox theory, this wasn't going to be easy. 

A brief smile crossed her face. This must be exactly how Mulder felt when he gave in his reports; when he got torn to shreds by the smiling men and women around the table. 

And hers were based on fact. God knows what they did to his. 

Reaching over, she turned off the light and slid between the sheets. Maybe after a rest she'd be able to make some sense out of the past few days. 

*********** 

Her father was dying. No, her father was dead. 

Running in the front doors of the emergency, she had used her badge for one of the first times to bully her way through the crowd to the nurses station and demanded to know where her mother was; where her father was... 

Then she saw Missy at the end of the corridor, standing as if she was waiting for her to arrive. 

"What happened? Where's Mom? What..." The words tumbled over each other as she grabbed ahold of her sister's arms; feeling the tension reverberate between them. 

Melissa shook her head; her eyes red and puffy. "The boys are on their way - they said it was a heart attack and they tried, Dana... they tried so hard..." 

Putting one hand on the door, Scully pushed it open to reveal her mother; waiting patiently by the empty hospital bed. She looked at her daughter, her face sad and empty. 

"They took him away already, Dana. They said we'd have to call and make arrangements to... to..." She turned away before she could finish the sentence, putting a hand up to her mouth. But she didn't cry. None of the Scully women ever cried in public. 

Putting her arms around her mother, Dana held the shaking woman for a few minutes, her head spinning from the frantic drive and the rush down the corridor. "Mom... it's going to be all right. I promise..." 

She nodded, sniffling as she pulled her wet face up from the shoulder of the soaked trench coat. "Of course it's going to be fine. I've still got you, and Missy and the boys." Margaret Scully stared at the empty mattress. "We both knew that no one lived forever, but we didn't expect it to be like this... so soon..." The last few words were whispered quietly into the coppery fringes of the younger Scully's hair, and she hugged her mother in response. 

"I still have you..." 

************* 

Scully shot upright in the dark room, her chest heaving with dry sobs. It took a few minutes to regain her orientation; and a few more to quiet her heart. 

Losing her father had almost killed her. Losing Missy when she was supposed to be the one killed had weighed so heavy on her soul that she wondered sometimes how much penance she could do. 

And now Mulder faced losing his mother. Less than a year after losing his father. He would be alone. 

He had said those words to her once, when they had been torn apart and sent in opposite ways. Simple little words, but so prophetic. 

She heard him stir; saw his shadow cross the room and into the bathroom. A few minutes later it emerged; wavering slightly. 

"Scully? You still up?" The words were half-whispered, half-prayed. 

"Yah." She smiled, not sure if he could see her. "Go to sleep, Mulder. I'll be here when you wake up." 

He chuckled as he headed back to bed. "I'll always have you, Scully." 

She shivered as she crawled back under the covers. 

************* 

Mulder groaned as the sunbeam refused to move; spearing his eyes in a frontal assault that he couldn't get away from. Throwing his arm over his face delayed the light for a few more minutes; until his arm went numb from lack of circulation. With another groan he rolled over in the bed and sat up, grabbing at his ribs with pain. 

It hurt to breathe, to walk, to stand. 

It was going to be a great day. 

Staggering around the room, he put the olive green shirt on and headed for the small doorway connecting their rooms. 

Scully was still sound asleep; curled up protectively around a pillow held tightly to her chest. Making his way around to the far side of the bed, he stared down at her. 

Her face was so soft, so vulnerable when she slept. The mask of the professional doctor; the agent wasn't in place yet. Right now she looked like a little girl, safe and sound in her private world of sleep. Though he knew that she sometimes had the same types of nightmares as he did; dark and scary and probably worse than he had. 

Reaching out with a slender finger, he traced her cheekbone lightly. "Wake up, sleepyhead. Good thing we're not working." 

Her eyes opened slowly, deep and soft as she gazed at him for a long second. Then the mask fell into place, and she became Agent Scully again. 

"You better call the front desk and see if your clothes are ready." She mumbled. "'Cause I don't think I've got anything that'll fit you." 

He nodded. "Well, I never thought of myself as an autumn person and your colours are just not right..." The pillow caught him unaware in the face, muffling his cry. 

Rolling out of the bed, she padded her way to the bathroom; stopping to stare at her partner. "You call the front desk - and if you're not here when I get out of the shower..." She let the words hang in the air. 

"Again?" He sighed loudly. "Scully, if I were into S&M you'd have me at your mercy by now. Shooting, beating me..." 

"Wait for it, Mulder..." The door shut behind her. 

************ 

The redhead emerged a while later; wrapped in the mandatory white hotel bathrobe. She sniffed the air, a frown on her face. Walking to the connecting door, she ducked her head inside Mulder's room. 

"What's that?" She gestured to the table; heaped with dishes empty and full. He looked up, mouth full of pancakes. 

"Our breakfast. If the Bureau's paying for it..." He waved a hand at the plates. "Fresh fruit, muffins... I didn't know what you wanted so I ordered most of the menu. And I'm a bit hungry." Mulder was already dressed in the same shirt and pants she had seen him arrive at the hospital in; but they looked a lot better now. As did he. 

Seating herself, Scully pulled a cantaloupe piece out of the dish and popped it into her mouth. "Did they do a good job on the clothes?" 

He put his nose to one shoulder and sniffed. "Well, it doesn't smell like I'm about to ignite, if that's what you're asking." His face fell as he finished the pancakes. "What chance does she have, Scully?" 

She knew what he was asking. And she couldn't lie. "I can't say - but if she doesn't come out of it soon, it might be a long time." 

"Oh." Running his hand over his chin, Mulder frowned at the bristles. "Don't suppose you have a razor that isn't going to chew my face up, do you?" 

Scully nodded with a soft smile. "I left one out in my bathroom - didn't figure you were hiding one anywhere." 

"Ouch." He got to his feet. "You finish up and I'll shave. Then we can go back." 

She watched him head for her bathroom; the tension showing in his face. It was going to be a long day. 

*************** 

The nurses bobbed their heads politely at the two agents as they headed down the hallway towards the room. Scully noted that Mulder found the right door this time. 

She was still lying in the same position they had left her in; the respirator hooked up to her mouth and her chest rising and falling in perfect rhythm. Pulling the chair up to the bed, Mulder took her hand in his again; putting it to his face. 

"Mom... it's Fox." He stared at the face, watching for any sign. "I had to go get cleaned up and a bit of a nap. But I'm back again." 

Nothing. Not a flicker. 

"I have to tell you something. I saw her. I saw Samantha." 

Nothing. 

"Mom, this is important to us. I need you to come back and talk to me..." 

Scully put her hands on his shoulders; absentmindedly running her hand along the back of his head, fingers stroking the silky black strands. 

"She can hear you, Mulder." The redhead whispered softly. "I heard you..." 

"Yah." His voice was strained and tired again. "I know." 

She swallowed. "Look, I'm going to go talk to the doctors and then get some coffee. I'll be back in a bit." 

"Sure." He heard the door open behind her. "Thanks, Scully." 

************ 

"I can't tell you what I don't know." The doctor looked down at the petite agent, showing her the chart. "You're a doctor, you tell me what I'm missing." 

Scully went over the chart line by line, her mind racing through the possibilities. "Everything looks normal in the way of treatment..." 

The man ran a hand over the short-cropped black hair. "Dr. Scully, Agent Scully, whatever you want to be today - I'm giving Mrs. Mulder the best care that I can. And I don't need anyone second-guessing me on the treatment of a stroke victim." The words were acidic. "If you see any problems, I suggest you take them to my superior." 

Looking up, Scully bit back the retort. "I'm sorry, Doctor." 

"It's okay." He admitted. "I understand the frustration that you and her son have." Taking the chart back, he motioned at the nurses. "Mind you, I think he's in good hands if he ever wants a date." 

Scully chuckled. "So I see." She shook his hand. "Thank you for your help. And sorry for being a busybody." 

"Hey, you're not the worst patient I've had." The middle-aged man smiled. "Believe me, the actual doctors are worse - but their friends are close." 

************* 

Mulder stared at the pale face. His voice was hoarse and he didn't know what else to say. 

The door opened quietly. 

"Hi, Scully." He knew her step intimately. A styrofoam cup appeared to the right side of his vision. "Thanks." Taking it from her, he gulped down the hot liquid. 

"Everything's being done that can be done." She put a hand on his shoulder again, trying to resist the temptation to run her hands through his hair again. "It's been three hours. Want to go get some lunch?" 

"Yah. Okay." He mumbled. "I'll be back in a bit, Mom. Promise." Letting go of her hand, he followed Scully out the door and down the hall; oblivious to the looks the younger nurses were shooting his way. 

The hospital cafeteria was full of workers, patients, visitors... and the food was just barely better than the Bureau cafeteria. Looking down at the brown mass that claimed to be beef stroganoff, Scully couldn't help but laugh. Mulder looked up from his supposedly hamburger. 

"What's up?" 

"This reminds me of my first internship. We always wondered what they did with the experimental animals..." 

"You're a sick puppy, Agent Scully." 

"Possibly, but don't blame me if your burger meows." 

"Urk." 

************ 

She watched him closely, watched him pick at his fries and eat at a pace that made snails seem speedy. And when he had finished, she watched him drink his coffee and wipe his mouth again. 

"Scully?" 

"Hmm?" 

"Stop watching me." He smiled. "I'm not going to run away on you again, if that's what you're worrying about." 

She ducked her head down, afraid to answer. Because she wasn't sure if he was right or not. 

"Because I was wrong. Again." He pushed the tray again. "Like I usually am in these things." With a grumble, he got to his feet. "I need to get back to her. I'll see you there." 

She nodded, letting him leave. Letting a deep sigh escape, she pulled open the notebook that weighed heavily in her pocket and began to compile the notes she had taken the day before. 

********** 

"Scully's here with me, Mom. You know, my partner." He murmured. "She's a good woman - I think you'd like her if you got to know her better." Putting the hand on his cheek, he sighed. "Come back soon, Mom... I need you." 

*********** 

"Mulder... Mulder..." The voice dragged him out of a light sleep. Pulling his eyes open, he stared at the thin hospital blanket under his cheek. "Mulder - let's go home." 

Lifting his head, he stared at Scully. "Wha..." 

"It's after seven. You've been asleep for a long time." She shifted positions in the chair, balancing the laptop precariously on her knees. "You fell asleep on the bed - I didn't want to wake you up, but we should go and let the nurses take over for a bit." 

"Hmm..." He sat back, feeling his shoulders protest. "You should have woken me up..." 

"For what?" She shook her head slowly. "You needed the rest - and if she had moved you would have known it. But I'm starving and we need to start on this report - and she needs some rest from you, I think." Getting to her feet, she gently patted his shoulder. "Come on back to the hotel and let's get some real food. You're still in pretty rough shape." 

"Okay." He bent down, putting a kiss on the woman's cheek. "I have to go now for a bit, Mom - but I'll be back." Mulder stared at the closed eyes for a second, then straightened up. "Let's go." 

************ 

Wriggling her toes now that they were free of the shoes; Scully changed quickly out of the suit into a sweatshirt and jeans. Much better. A slight rap on the connecting door and a positive response, and she walked into Mulder's room. He had already gotten back into the medical clothes; a slight smile on his face. 

"I need to go shopping, I guess." 

"We'll do that tomorrow." Scully promised, setting up her laptop on the table. "But we do need to work on this report. It's important that we get that information compiled before we..." Her voice trailed off as she stared at the sleeping man on the bed. "On the other hand, one more day won't hurt any..." 

Walking over, she pulled the bedspread from the bottom of the bed over his limp body. "You've had a rough day - and from the look of things, you've had very little sleep if you're like this." She brushed a lock of hair away from his mouth. "I don't know if you're faking it or not, Mulder - but I'll let you get away with it this time. But tomorrow we're working on that report. Promise." 

His eyes fluttered for a few seconds, then wearily opened. "Promise. Sorry. I just can't do this right now." 

She sat on the edge of the bed, nodding. "I know. And I'm pushing... I just don't want to lose any trails." A frown, and she put her hand to his forehead. "Mulder, you're freezing. I hope you're not coming down with anything." 

"I feel fine." He protested. "I'm just so tired..." A mischievous grin flew across his face. "But I know what would warm me up..." 

Grabbing her quickly around the waist, he flipped the woman onto the bed beside him; wrapping his arms around her middle and tucking his head behind hers. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck. 

"Don't try to tell me you have frostbite." Scully said calmly, though her heart had picked up speed. "Because I am a doctor." 

"Good. Then you know how body heat is the best way to warm someone up." He mumbled into her ear. 

"This is not the best way." 

"Well, the best would be if we were both naked, but I don't feel up to it." 

She chuckled. "So I can tell, Mulder." 

"Ouch. Two points." 

"Are you going to let me go, or am I stuck here for the night?" 

His sigh echoed in her throat. "I don't want to be alone, Scully. But I don't want to make promises I can't keep. And I know you're still mad at me for leaving you." 

"I never stay mad at you, Mulder." She reached over and flicked off the lights with a free hand. "Besides, at least I'll know where you are this time." 

"Sweet dreams, Scully." 

**************** Downtime III - Day Three (3/8) by Sheryl Martin 

Opening her eyes wearily, Dana Scully lifted her hand to look at her watch. 

11:43. 

She frowned. 

11:43? 

In the morning? God, that meant that the two of them had slept over twelve hours... 

The arms encircling her waist pulled her closer, the grip intensifying on her sweatshirt. The soft hairs at the back of her head began to move, nuzzled aside by a questing nose and wet lips. Suddenly she felt the dampness on the tender skin and knew he was crying; crying so softly as to not be noticed. 

She didn't turn over, didn't want to embarrass him too much. So she slipped a hand down to cover his where it was scrunched up in her shirt. A slight squeeze and she felt him tense around her for a second, then relax. 

A few minutes later she heard a deep sigh and his hand disentangled itself from her shirt to entwine his fingers with hers. 

"What time is it?" A weak voice whispered. 

"About noon. We really slept in." Her stomach growled. "And since you made me miss dinner, I think I deserve a good lunch." 

"On the Bureau's tab, I think." Mulder chuckled. Releasing her, he rolled out of bed. "Then back to the hospital." 

"No, first to the stores for some clothing." Scully protested, getting to her feet. "We won't be too long and then the hospital." She stopped, seeing the worry in his eyes. "I've given them my cell number and yours. They'll call if anything happens. Besides, I think that you need a change of clothing." 

"What's wrong with those?" He gestured at the pile sitting on the far chair. 

"'Except that they need a good rest from you, nothing." Scully headed for the other room, "I need to get changed - you put them back on for the last time and we'll head over. 

"As you wish." The words drifted behind her as she closed the connecting door. 

********** 

The small restaurant sat just inside the mall and had a good menu to chose from . Scully opted for the grilled fish while Mulder went for another burger. She arched one eyebrow. "You could order something else, you know." 

"What, and break my cycle?" 

She smiled. "You must be feeling better - you're not making any sense." 

"That makes two of us." Leaning forward, Mulder stared at her. "How much of what I've told you do you believe?" He locked eyes with the redhead until she looked away in discomfort. 

"I don't really know, Mulder." Eyes lowered, she poked at the tablecloth. "If you say that you saw it, then I believe that you did." 

"That's not the same." He softly chided her. 

Her lips twisted into a half-smile. "You know what I mean." It hovered on her face for a few seconds before disappearing. "But if they were all clones - who was the boy? Or boys, so to speak?" 

"I don't know." He admitted, slumping in his chair. "There's a lot that I don't know - why that assassin didn't stay dead, for one." He looked at her. "I wouldn't have left you alone with him if I'd known he was still alive." 

"I know." She gave him a look of forgiveness. "But I don't understand why he didn't die either. Most people would have at least been extremely indisposed by an ice pick in the back of the neck." 

He sighed. "Yah. So let's go shopping and don't think for a few hours after lunch. Just promise me you won't laugh." 

"At what?" 

*********** 

"Oh, no." Scully stared at the t-shirt, shaking her head. "You are NOT going to get any shirt that says 'Naked Co-Ed Net Surfing'." 

"Why not? You're not wearing it." Mulder said, seeing the young salesman smirking behind the counter. 

"Because I don't want to know what you do when I'm not around. And neither does the rest of the world, in my opinion." She retorted, not noticing the mischievous nod Mulder shot the salesman. 

"But Scully..." His voice took on a whiny tone. "It's only a shirt. And I really, really want it..." 

"Your mother would kill you." She snorted. "And I can't believe that I'm standing here and arguing with you over this." Turning on her heel, she walked out of the store. "I'll be outside." 

"I'll take it." Mulder grinned at the young man. Opening his wallet, he groaned at the amount of receipts stacked inside. Scully hadn't just let him pick up a set of underwear and socks; she had insisted that he get jeans and shirts - as if it would really push the hotel's staff to clean his clothes that often. 

Well, those clothes - it might. 

"Your girlfriend's a really hot one." The salesman confided as he handed over the package, his face beaming. "Gotta admit that she's a catch." 

Mulder frowned for a second, then realised what the kid was saying. "Oh, right." He looked outside the window where the petite woman was looking over some jewellery in the next store. "You've got no idea..." 

She stared at the collection of engagement rings and wedding rings, thoughtfully set next to the necklaces and earrings way beyond her budget for a lifetime. Maybe one day... 

"Hello." Scully jumped for a microsecond at finding Mulder at her elbow. 

"Don't do that." She admonished him. "I don't need to be any more spooked by you." 

"Oh, do I spook you a lot?" He drawled, wide-eyed. 

"More than you'll ever know." She grumbled. 

"But the best is yet to come." The tall man grinned. "I need a new tie." 

********* 

A great distance away from the couple, both physical and mental, a woman walked out of the elevator in an apartment building and dropped her groceries, screaming. 

********* 

"But Scully, you said I needed your help." Mulder was beginning to enjoy this. "And I need boxers, you know." 

The object of his pleading stood with her back to the railing of the walkway, arms crossed and shaking her head. "No." 

"No?" 

"No, I will not help you buy underwear. Your mother stopped doing that a long time ago, and I'm willing to bet that you've gone up a few sizes since she bought them for you." 

Leaning in close, he pinned her to the railing, arms on each side of her. "Oh, quite a few sizes, Scully." 

Putting her hand on his chest, she easily pushed him back. "Go. I'll be out here when you finish." 

With an exaggerated sigh and downcast look, Mulder entered the menswear store. Scully let a soft laugh escape her as she watched him wander the aisles. For some reason he was managing to fill every stereotype she ever had about men, which was scary. 

Her cell phone beeped. Her heart froze. 

"Scully..." 

"Agent Scully, it's Skinner." Her heart went from super-alert to just plain old alert in a second. 

"Yes, sir." 

"Is Mulder with you?" 

"Yes... we're just doing a bit of shopping to get some new clothing..." 

"Good." She could hear him clearing his throat. "It seems that there was an attempted break-in at his apartment." 

"Sir?" Scully was extremely confused. 

"The door was open, but nothing appears to have been taken. But there was a... the man assumed to be the burglar was shot and died in front of the door." He paused. "It was a large coloured man, no identification on him and nothing on our files." 

The breath caught in her throat as she realised who he was talking about. "How did he die?" She said nonchalantly, aware that they might be overheard. 

"It seems that he was shot in front of the elevator and dragged himself back towards the apartment." Skinner's voice was calm and professional. "I'll fax the photographs to the hotel for you to look at - Mulder's not a suspect in any case, since we all know where he was." 

"Yes, sir." 

"But I thought you should know." 

"Yes - thank you, sir." 

"Be careful, Scully." The line went dead. 

Putting the phone back into her coat pocket, she closed her eyes to regain her balance. More blood on their hands, because she knew in her heart that somehow she had assisted in this death. 

Mulder appeared, holding a bag high and away from him. "The Unmentionables have been purchased..." He looked at her face. "What's wrong?" 

"X is dead." 

************* 

The nurses watched as again the man took up his vigil by the bedside; his face even more drawn than before. And his redheaded partner terrorised the station with a glance. 

"I want security increased around her." The hospital administrator looked up at Scully from behind his desk. 

"While I appreciate that this is a personal matter, we don't have the resources to put an armed guard outside Mrs. Mulder's door. Already we've disrupted the workings of this hospital for your Bureau and your concerns." 

"I don't care." Scully spat out the words, her temper flaring. "If this woman dies, I can guarantee that I'll drag your name and the name of this hospital through the mud in every capacity I can, medical and professional." She stared at him. "A firefight in your hallway would prove to be a bit more disruptive than a few agents hanging around." 

He crossed his hands on the desktop. "I'll alert security to put added attention to your floor and to her room. And I'll send an alert to all the nurses to immediately report any suspicious activity." 

She caught herself, feeling embarrassed at her loss of control. "Yes. That would be fine." Scully paused. "I'm sorry. It's just that Mulder's lost a lot in the past while and I couldn't stand to see him hurt again." 

The man nodded, a knowing smile on his face. "As do all of us, Dr. Scully." 

********** 

Slipping into the hospital room, Scully scanned the monitors instinctively; then crossed over to where Mulder sat, holding his mother's hand. 

"They're going to be very careful." She said softly. He nodded. 

"But it won't matter if they want to get to her, Scully." The light tone had disappeared from his voice. "Everything dies, Scully... everything I love either dies or gets taken from me..." 

She put a hand on his shoulder, rubbing him lightly. "Not everything, Mulder." Looking at her watch, she remembered the conversation the nurses had had with her a few minutes ago. "They want to take her out for some tests - just to make sure everything's going well." 

"I need to look at those pictures." Mulder sighed. "And I guess the nurses want me to get the hell out." 

She smiled. "Familiar feeling?" 

Kissing his mother's hand before putting it by her side, Mulder picked up his coat from the chair. "Had to drag me away from your side." 

Opening the door for him, she caught his eye. "And me from yours..." 

********** 

Mulder stared at the black and white pictures; creased by the fax machine but clear enough to convey the gruesome act. Tossing them on the top of the table by the pizza box, he frowned. 

"SRSG..." He looked over at Scully. "What do you think it means?" 

She shook her head. "I don't know - maybe it's someone's name... but it sounds too strange to be that." 

He nodded. "Maybe it's part of a word..." Stifling a yawn, he put the pictures to one side. "Did they say where he was going to be buried?" 

"No." Scully admitted. "I expect that if it's like the other mystery men we've found, no one will claim the body and it'll either disappear or be buried as a John Doe." 

"I should do something about that." Mulder muttered. "He deserved better." 

"As do all of us, Mulder." Getting to her feet, she patted his arm. "I'm calling it a night - we've had a rough day and I think we should be at the hospital all day tomorrow. I know they're putting on extra precautions, but I want to check them out myself when they don't expect it." 

"Good idea." He yawned again. "Thanks, Scully... I don't know what I'd do without you." 

"End up buying your own underwear still, I think." She paused at the door. "I'll see you in the morning, okay?" 

He nodded. "Yah. 'Night, Scully." 

"'Night Mulder." Then she was gone, and he was left with the black and white photographs of a man who never existed. 

************ Downtime III - Day Four (4/8) by Sheryl Martin 

Scully awoke to the sounds of someone crashing about in the adjoining room; knowing instinctively it had to be Mulder. Getting out of bed quickly, she flicked on the light in her own room; standing in the doorway where it shone through into the other suite. 

Mulder sat on the edge of his bed, fumbling with the phone. "Scully..." His faint smile shone in the dim lighting. "I have to call St. George - they'll kill her." A few steps had her at his side, gently taking the phone out of his hand. 

"She's too far away to reach on the phone." She listened to the out of range message before putting the receiver back down. "And she's a big girl. She'll be careful." Putting a hand to his forehead, she flinched. "God, Mulder - you're running a fever." 

"No, no..." He grumbled. "I'm just overheated." Pulling away from her, he paced the room, oblivious to the fact that he was only wearing his new boxer shorts; in contrast to Scully's silk pyjamas. 

Moving behind him, she took his arm; none too gently. "Mulder, go back to bed. I'm going to get a thermometer and check you out. I think you're sick." 

"I'm fine!" Yanking his arm free. he whirled away from her. "And I don't need you hovering over me! I don't need you or anyone!" The room suddenly spun around him and finally crashed into his face as he cried. 

******** 

He was eight years old, not old enough to stop playing in the snow before he caught a massive cold and woke up so sick that he could barely call out for his mother. The cool hand rested on his forehead; calming and reassuring. 

His eyes hurt. His fingernails hurt. Everything hurt. And he felt very, very guilty. Forcing his mouth open, he fought the nausea long enough to speak. 

"I'm sorry..." 

"That's all right, Fox." The voice was familiar and not familiar. "Just rest..." He wrenched his eyes open to focus on a woman's face; an older and wiser Dana Scully... His memory kicked in. 

"Mrs. Scully..." The words came out in a croak. "Scully..." 

"Dana's gone to the hospital to see to your mother." Margaret gently placed the damp washcloth on his forehead. "She called me when she realised that she couldn't leave you alone right now. And you should have called me right away..." Her smile was infectious. "I already told her that." 

"Mom." The words came out in a whimper. She touched his cheek softly. 

"Go to sleep." She stroked his forehead with the cloth. "I've had enough of my own that I know what's best for you right now. Dana'll take care of everything." 

"Dana..." He smiled and drifted off. 

********* 

Scully stared at the hospital security officer. "You're sure that no one's been here to visit her?" 

The tall dark man sighed, handing her a clipboard. "We have a policy of having all ICU patient guests sign in. No one's been her." He hooked his thumbs unto his belt. "I know that you're concerned - I don't need to know why; but I can assure you that my people and I am on top of it." 

She nodded, throwing a smile his way. "Sorry, I just worry too much, I think." 

He shrugged, taking the clipboard back. "No problem. Believe me, you're not the first sensitive patient we've had here." The radio at his hip crackled. "Excuse me." He put the mike to his mouth, talking quickly and quietly. "Yes?" His eyes went to the woman standing in front of him. "I'm on my way - just keep the person there until we arrive."He looked at Scully. "We've got someone one wanting to visit your Mrs. Mulder - and the name's not on the authorised list." 

She beat him to the elevator; pushing the button hard and feeling the pistol snug against her hip; hidden under the windbreaker. 

The doors opened to show a nearly empty corridor, with two beefy security officers standing in front of someone. Scully walked briskly towards the crowd; the supervisor behind her. 

The officers parted to show a tired and weary St. George; hands dangling at her side. The sunglasses reflected the neon lights as Scully let out her breath. 

"She's fine. Thank you." The officers melted away into the background. St. George smiled. 

"Good to see you're taking precautions." It was only then that Scully noticed the swollen lip; the pained way her friend held herself. Reaching up, she carefully pulled off the sunglasses, watching the way the Canadian winced away from the light. 

Jackie's right eye was almost swollen shut; the ugly bluish bruises reaching down the cheekbone. At the edge of her sweatshirt on her left shoulder she could see the beginning of another dark area. 

"They grabbed me at the embassy parking lot - didn't even get to the airport. And when I got to the dammed office Rosie handed me a memo - seems there's been a problem with the Immigration database. My passport's been temporarily suspended for a few weeks while they work out the computer glitch." She replaced the sunglasses, smiling. "And they knew what they were doing, the bastards. Didn't cut me once. But I made them pay for it." 

Scully sighed. "I'm not surprised. Mulder was trying to call you this morning." She gestured towards the nurses station, walking down the hall. "They killed X." 

St. George let out a low whistle. "Man, this is bad... But I can't do anything right now. Give me a few weeks and I'll see. But I had to come up and see how you both were." She looked around. "So where's Mulder?" 

"At the hotel; in bed." Dana chuckled at Jackie's expression. "No, he's sick. Mom's taking care of him - I didn't want to leave him alone while checking things out here." 

"Your mother's here? God, I better not let her see me like this." The Canadian chuckled. "So..." Wearily she leaned against the wall. "Tell me a story..." 

******** 

"How are you feeling?" Mulder fought his way awake again, his head a bit clearer. 

"A bit better." He admitted, forcing himself to sit up in the bed. Margaret hovered nearby, sipping a cup of tea as she watched him. Tugging the covers up to his waist, he felt somehow embarrassed to be bedridden in front of her. "What time is it?" 

"About five in the afternoon. I already got a call from Dana - everything's fine at the hospital. Your mother's well." Putting the cup down, she pressed her hand to Mulder's forehead, nodding slightly. "Fever's down. I think you were just tired out and exhausted. I'm surprised Dana didn't notice that before dragging you around shopping and rushing to and from the hospital." 

"Well, she's been kinda busy lately." Mulder offered up, his eyes downcast and focused on the blankets. "She's been doing a lot." 

"She always does. You can't keep her down; no matter how you try." Sitting on the side of the bed, she took Mulder's hand. "I'm sorry about your mother, Fox. If it's all right with you, I'd like to light a candle and pray for her." 

"My mother's not Catholic. Well, not really." He mumbled. 

"I don't think God will mind." Margaret smiled. "And besides, I've called in enough favours over the years that I do owe a few candles." She squeezed his hand. "She'll be fine. From what Dana's told me, she's a fighter." 

"Yah. That's my mother." He sighed, looking away. "She's all I have left." 

Margaret patted his hand before pulling back. "Have faith, Fox. It's worked before." 

"I yelled at Scully. When I was sick." He said quietly. She nodded again, releasing his hand. 

"She told me. But you were feverish, and she was really worried about you. She must have been, to call me. After all, she tries so hard to keep me apart from her professional life." 

"Yah, well..." He scrunched up the covers in his fists. "I always seem to keep getting her in trouble, in danger." 

Getting to her feet, the elder Scully walked over and poured two cups of tea from the small room service tray. "Fox William Mulder, I don't want to hear you talk like that. What my daughter does is of her own free will; not because you're somehow coercing her into it." Handing him one mug, she perched herself on the edge of the bed. "When she was seven, someone told her that she couldn't play hockey with the local boys because she was a girl." 

Mulder smiled, imagining a younger Scully scuffling with her playmates in the road. 

"That someone had a son who then gave her a rough body check in a game." Margaret sipped her tea. "We got a phone call from the hospital to come down and pick her up - she was a little bruised and sore, but she wasn't the reason we had to go to the hospital. It was to explain to the parents of the boy why she had returned the body check with interest; so hard that he had fallen and broken his arm in three places." She smiled, her eyes distant. "Missy couldn't stop laughing; and her father was so proud of her he was puffed up like the fattest pigeon at how his little girl could brawl with the boys when she had to." Her eyes returned to the cup in front of her. "So I don't want to hear any more about how you talk her into things. The only thing I think you might be able to talk her into is nothing I want to know about." With a knowing grin, she took another sip. 

Mulder did as well, not knowing what to say in reply. 

*********** 

"They must think I'm here for an abuse seminar." St. George joked as she gingerly took a sip of pop in the hospital cafeteria. Scully smiled, noting the looks of concern being shot their way as people passed the bruised and battered woman. The Canadian's face went serious. "She looks pretty good, Dana - what's the diagnosis?" 

She shook her head in reply. "She's stable; but we don't know if or when she might regain consciousness. Could be a few days, a few weeks..." She shrugged. "This part of the treatment we still know so little about." 

"And Mulder? How's he taking it?" 

"As well as ever. He builds walls and hides behind them." Scully stared at her mug. "Or he runs away and leaves me behind them as well." 

"Whoa, whoa." St. George frowned. "Last time I checked, you two were partners. And if he left you behind again, it wasn't because he didn't think you could do the job - it was because he wanted to keep you out of danger." 

"Yah, well..." Dana let the sentence dangle. "I'm just tired of it." 

"Well I'm sure he's tired of it as well." Jackie shot back. "But if it happens, it's not that he thinks any less of you." A sly smile crossed her face. "If anything, it's probably because he thinks more of you." 

Scully wagged a finger at her. "None of that, thank you. I have enough to worry about without you cooing in my ear about Mulder and me." 

"Who, me?" She raised her hands in mock surrender, wincing slightly. "Do you want me to stay here to keep an eye on her?" 

Scully pursed her lips for a second before replying. "No. I don't think that anyone's going to come after her now. If they didn't kill you; they probably aren't worried about his mother." She chuckled. "No offence." 

"None taken." Getting to her feet, St. George stifled a groan. "In that case, let me just say hello to the jerk and I'll be on my way back home to collapse in my own apartment." 

*********** 

Mulder was feeling much better, enough to grab a shirt and jeans and discreetly excuse himself to the bathroom to get dressed. Under Margaret's careful watch he managed to shave himself and drag a comb across his hair before lying back down atop the covers with a deep moan. 

"You'll be fine, Fox. Just rest up for a few hours." She admonished him. "You've been through a shock, and a bad one. Don't push yourself and you'll be up to snuff in no time." 

"You've got a lot of faith." He said quietly. 

She began to say something, then stopped; hearing the door unlock. Scully strode into the room, St. George a good distance behind. 

"How are you both doing?" She looked at her mother, then at the prone figure on the bed. 

"He's fine. Nothing that a few days of rest won't cure; and I don't want you dragging him around for a while." Margaret Scully hugged her daughter. St. George chuckled. 

"Finally found a way to keep you in bed, eh Mulder?" 

"Funny, St. George. And what brings you here?" He frowned, looking at her closely as she tried to disappear into the wallpaper. "And what happened to you?" 

"Ah..." The Canadian looked from the younger Scully to the mother to the man on the bed. "Dana'll tell you - I have to get back to Washington, really. But I'll call and stay in touch..." Her voice drained off as Margaret Scully approached her; taking in her ragged appearance. 

"Jaclyn Amanda St. George, have you been fighting?" The accusing tone made all three of them wince. 

"Ah... well..." Jackie looked at the two agents for support, finding none. "Well, it was because of Mulder, to be fair..." 

"Let me take a look at that face. And don't think you can hide under those glasses." Margaret traced the swollen tissue around the eye. "Hmm... I think I'll travel back with you - just to make sure you don't get into any more trouble." 

"Ah..." Jackie sputtered. "I'm fine, really..." She sighed, seeing the grin on Mulder and Scully's faces. "All right..." She grumbled, walking over to Mulder's bed. Bending down, she kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Just be careful, okay? Not going to do any of us any good if you're out of action for too long." She glanced at Dana. "Call me. For anything." 

"Jaclyn..." Margaret Scully stood at the doorway. "I'll drive." 

"I owe you for this one." St. George whispered to Scully. "Big time..." 

Scully stifled a laugh, choosing instead to hug her mother. "Thanks, Mom... I'll call tomorrow, promise." 

"I'm sure you'll both be fine." The elder Scully paused by the door. "Just keep him in bed for a bit and he'll be fine." 

"'Keep him in bed' - remember that, Dana." St. George chuckled as she exited the room with Mrs. Scully. 

As the door closed behind the pair, Scully sat down on the edge of Mulder's bed. "The doctors say that she's progressing well - no setbacks, no problems foreseen." 

"But she's not awake yet." 

"No..." She admitted. "But you have to trust them, Mulder. I know they're doing all they can." 

"Don't worry, Scully." Mulder smiled, glancing at the door. "I have faith in them." Reaching over, he clasped her hand and squeezed it. "And in you." 

"You must be still running a fever, Mulder." 

*************** 

Downtime III - Day Five (5/8) by Sheryl Martin 

Scully yawned, forcing her eyes open. the first sunbeams of the morning were creeping along the floor up and over the bed, across the yellow paper spread everywhere to the slumped form curled up against her side. 

Mumbling in his sleep, Mulder threw one arm over her lap and snuggled closer; burying his face in her side. Propped up against the headboard, she dropped a hand to absentmindedly stroke the dark hair around his right ear as he nuzzled more into her side. 

She didn't believe all of this - she couldn't. And neither would anybody at the Bureau; except Skinner. Perhaps. If she could just rewrite it enough to make it at least plausible... 

The man next to her mumbled again. No, Mulder wouldn't let her. And she couldn't, in all good faith, hide the Truth. Whatever it was. 

She looked at her watch. 6:45 a.m. Well, it was better than the last few days. Putting a hand on the back of her partner's neck, she rocked him slowly. 

"Mulder... Mulder, it's time to get up." 

He responded by burrowing deeper into her side; tightening his grip on her. Scully sighed. Although this was nice and all that, they had to get moving at some point. A yawn broke free. Well, in a few more minutes... 

Mulder wandered back to himself; feeling the soft material under his cheek and chin. His mind groggily reran the film of the evening's events - of lying beside Scully while they worked on the report. Well, she worked. He growled and argued and fought and crumpled up notes and tossed paper airplanes across the room and disagreed on the sentence fragment until he had to put his head down on the pillow and then was lost. 

Now, as his face rubbed against the moving pillow, his mind registered that pillows did not move up and down in a rhythmic routine. Or be composed of two pieces; one thicker than the other. Forcing his eyes open, he stared down at the jeans poking their way out from under the soft sweatshirt the woman beside him was wearing. With a groan he pulled out from under the hand resting on his neck, though it was very nice and not exactly something he wanted to forget any time soon. 

Rolling onto his back, he stared at the ceiling. Who were those children? What did the bees have to do with it all? Why did the telephone repairman start to decompose so quickly... It was just like having an encyclopaedia handed to him with half the pages cut out. Colonisation... 

A second roll brought him off the bed and heading for the washroom. The best thing he could do right now, and the only thing he cared about was seeing to his mother. A good hot shower would clear his mind, hopefully. 

Scully started, hearing the water in the bathroom. Rubbing her eyes, she stumbled through into her own room; ignoring the notes spread across the bedcovers. 

************* 

"Scully..." 

"Hmm?" She looked over from where she sat in the driver's seat; seeing him stare out the window as they drove the short distance to the hospital. 

"I think..." He swallowed. "I think I might let you write the report - cut out all the parts you don't agree with and then submit it." 

Her eyes went wide at the comment. "Mulder, both our names are on that report - I won't put one in if you don't agree with it." She pulled into the hospital parking lot. "Even if we disagree with parts of it personally, the Bureau deserves all the information we have. Maybe it links up with something else someone's working on. Don't forget, it was Skinner's persistence that led to the smallpox records that Pendrell found in the Smiths' computers." Stopping the car, she turned to look at him. "Are you afraid of what we'll face if we put it all down?" 

"No." He stared at her. "I'm afraid of what'll happen to you." Opening the car door, he stepped out. 

"What does that mean?" She followed, trotting quickly to catch up with him as he took long strides across the lot. 

"I mean that I don't want you to lose all your credibility with the Bureau, Scully. It's bad enough that if they hear that I'm giving a presentation that they bring extra elastic bands to whip at each other when they're not laughing; I don't want that stigma passed on to you." He reached for the door handle. 

An arm angrily barred his way; holding it shut. "Mulder, I base everything I say and do on science. It wasn't easy to give that talk about the smallpox, nor to suggest that it's being used as some sort of tagging system. But if I base it on facts and not theories; give them proof instead of ideas; then they can't object. Even Skinner had to listen to me." She put herself in front of the door, her face reddening. "And I stopped worrying a long time ago about the 'stigma' of being in the basement with you." Pulling the door open, she barged through. "Now let's go see your mother." 

********** 

"There's been no change." The nurse said quietly to the pair. "She's resting comfortably." With a nod she trotted down the hall, leaving the two alone. 

Mulder opened the door and moved to his mother's side. Taking the same chair he had for the past few days, he draped his coat across the back; sitting down and taking her hand in his. Scully paused for a second, then spoke. 

"I'll be back in a few minutes." She watched him nod, not looking at her. "If you need anything, call me." 

Letting the door shut behind her, she briskly made her way to a pay phone, first stopping to check the directory posted on the wall. 

********** 

Mulder put the cool hand to his face again. "Sorry I wasn't here yesterday, Mom... I was sick. Scully took care of me - well, her mother did. She's a nice woman. I think you'd like her." Letting his breath out, he watched the pale face. "I don't know what to do, Mom. If I quit then I can really search for her; but there's so much I don't know. That I have to know because it's larger than just Samantha; than just what they did to Scully. And I need you to come back to me and tell me what you know." The last few words came out in a muted whisper. "Who he is, Mom... Tell me who he is..." 

*********** 

"Yes?" Skinner's voice was brisk and business-like. 

"It's Scully." She took a breath. "I wanted to tell you that we're working on the report, but I need to discuss the contents with you." 

"Regarding what part?" The dry tone sent a shiver down her spine. 

"Well, sir... I know that some parts of my presentation weren't exactly well received by the other agents..." She bit back the obvious words. 

"Agent Scully, I don't want you to change a single word. I don't want you to muffle anything; delete any comments or make it politically correct for me. If any part of what you and Agent Mulder have seen and experienced is true; then we're dealing with a problem that goes far beyond just ticking off a few more civil servants." He sucked in his breath. "Scully, I know it was hard to tell us that theory. Because it did seem like something out of a science fiction novel. But if it's true..." He let the words hang in the air. "I want you and Mulder to give me a full report and let me deal with them. All I need are the facts and I'll support your recommendations." 

"Thank you, sir." She felt like she had run a ten minute mile. 

"Scully, I had a hard time with the smallpox theory. But you gave me reports and evidence. Backing that up with theories supplied by Mulder, no matter how farfetched they might seem could give us something to work from; given that no one's had that much experience in these areas." Skinner concluded. "Just take care of both of you and get back here in a few days. With that report." 

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." She hung up the phone with a sigh. 

*********** 

"She's got so much faith in science, Mom... it's scary at times. But she's always managed to make it work - and that's the funny part." Mulder smiled. "She's so stubborn. Like you used to call me." 

*********** 

The small room was set in a back corner of the hospital; discreetly lit and very plainly decorated. Sitting in one of the pews of the chapel, Scully fingered the small cross hanging around her neck. Slowly the hand crept up to the small scar on the back of her shoulder; then across to the smallpox scar on her arm. 

"Our Father..." 

*********** 

The chaplain peered into the chapel from his office; noting the single occupant. After a reasonable amount of time he got up from behind his desk and walked through into the room, watching the young woman stir at his presence. 

"I'm sorry - I didn't mean to startle you." He smiled, seeing the way she took in his greying hair and slow movements. "Sorry for intruding, but I was wondering if you needed any help with anything." Settling his body beside hers, he waited. 

"I'm... I'm here with a friend. His mother suffered a stroke and we're waiting to see if she'll regain consciousness." The voice was low and a bit shaky. 

"Do you think she'll awake?" He asked softly. She nodded. 

"I hope so. I don't know what Mulder'll do without her. He'll be alone." 

The chaplain looked at her thoughtfully for a minute before speaking. "This... Mulder..." 

Scully cut him off, a light chuckle escaping. "Sorry, Father - his last name is Mulder. He doesn't let anyone call him by his first name." 

"Ah... a military man, I see." This brought another smile to her face, one he didn't mind seeing. "But Mulder won't be alone if she passes on. He'll still have you, won't he?" 

The redhead nodded slowly. "But you know it's not the same thing. I lost my father over a year ago and I still miss him horribly. And he lost his father just last year." 

The priest nodded. "Everything dies eventually. But I think that if you are strong for him, as you seem to be, that he'll be able to cope with anything that comes his way. Is your mother still alive?" She nodded again. "Then you must be strong for her, for her loss of your father. Mulder must be able to look to you for that strength when his faith falters; when he feels truly alone." Getting to his feet, he patted her hand. "I've got to go make my rounds - but I'll stop in and pray for your friend's mother." 

"Thank you." As the man hobbled out of the chapel Scully stared up at the stained-glass window and wondered how many times the light could split itself along the walls. 

*********** 

It was well after three when she made her way back up to the ICU and to the small room where Mulder still sat; ignorant of the time. 

"Scully..." He smiled as she entered the room. "I was wondering where you'd gotten to. Working on that report?" 

"Not really." She admitted. "I had some thinking to do. But I did call Skinner to check in." 

He waited for her to continue, still holding his mother's hand. 

"He wants us to put everything in the report. All of it. And he'll deal with what comes down." 

"Is that what you want?" His eyes met hers, searching. 

She nodded. "It's the only way to make sure that the information doesn't disappear, Mulder. I think we should also send a copy to your friends for safekeeping - maybe they might be able to work on it independently of our efforts." 

"Sounds like a plan to me, Scully." He looked down at the pasty face on the pillows. "I thought she squeezed my hand once." His face went soft. "I called the nurse, but they said it was nothing. That she can't hear me and can't be reacting." 

"She can hear you." The redhead smiled. "Believe it, Mulder." 

A nurse's face appeared in the doorway. "Mr. Mulder, we have to do some work on your mother..." 

Sighing, he released the hand so carefully cradled in his. "And you want me to get the hell out. I understand." Kissing the unconscious woman's face, he stroked her forehead. "I'll be back tomorrow, Mom. You just hurry up and come back home." 

*********** 

The drive back to the hotel was quiet, each of them caught up in their own thoughts. It wasn't until they got out of the car that Mulder spoke. 

"I owe you a real dinner - want to see if the dining room has steak?" 

"Sounds good to me." She met his glance. "And then back to work?" 

"Yah." His voice was strained, but strong. "We have a lot to do tonight." 

"'And miles to go before we sleep'?" She quipped. 

"You got it, partner." Offering her his arm, he opened the door into the hotel. 

************* Downtime III - Day Six (6/8) by Sheryl Martin 

Dana Scully rapped lightly on the door that connected their two rooms; pushing it open carefully as to not startle her partner. She was already dressed; having called off their late-night session around two or so and escaping to her own bed for a few hours of well-needed rest. Hopefully Mulder wasn't still working, or just napping. 

Which was unlikely, since he was snoring so loud that she wondered why she hadn't received a noise complaint from the management. Crossing over to the edge of his bed, she looked down at him. 

Sprawled haphazardly across the top of the bedcovers and fully clothed, Mulder made an odd picture with the remains of the first unsuccessful report serving as part mattress; part pillow. A tongue flicked out to wet his lips, then he continued to snore fitfully; unaware that he was being watched. 

Reaching down, Scully took ahold of one of his bare toes and tweaked it from side to side. "Mulder - you set my alarm for this time. If I have to get up, you have to get up." 

She stared at the prone figure, watching for any sign of life. Okay, that didn't work. 

"Mulder..." Grabbing ahold of his foot, she rocked it heavily. "Mulder, I was just having a great dream about Mel Gibson - and if I have to give it up, so do you." 

He mumbled and licked his lips again. Right. Wrong dream to tell him... 

Taking her index finger; she slowly drew it up along the sole of his foot, watching his face. A grimace appeared, replaced quickly by a smile then by the ever present snoring. 

Another stroke, and his toes wriggled. "Funny, Mulder - never saw you as a foot man." Another one, and he pulled his feet up with a yelp, grabbing at them with his hands as he shot upright. 

"You don't play fair, Scully." He grumbled, trying to sound annoyed and failing. 

"Never with you." She sat down beside him, a smile on her face. "But you did want to get up early today - what's on the schedule?" 

Rubbing his face wearily, he pushed away a stack of notes. "I want to go out to the summer house." Seeing her expression, he continued quickly. "It's where she met Cancer Man - and where I found that thing; that ice pick weapon. Maybe I missed something..." 

*************** 

The drive up wasn't bad at all; the fall colours adding an air of gaiety to the travel. Scully looked over at her partner; noticing the gentle smile on his face. If she didn't know better, she'd say that they looked like a couple on the way up to the cottage for the weekend. 

"What are you thinking about, Scully?" 

"Oh, nothing..." 

*************** 

Pulling off the main road onto a smaller, unpaved laneway, Mulder finally spoke for the second time since they had started out that morning. "My mother never came up here after the divorce. She had thought about selling the place; but she never did. Maybe she thought one of us would want it for our own families." 

She nodded, not knowing what to say. He stopped the car in the driveway, turning the engine off and sitting still for a minute. "Last time I was up here I met X." He turned to look at her. "And he gave me those pictures." Pause. "Maybe that's what got him killed." 

Reaching over, she put her hand atop his. "Mulder - you can't take his death as your responsibility. He knew what he was doing and what the risks were from the first time he contacted you. And you don't know if it was even related to us." 

Opening the door, he went around to unlock the trunk of the car; picking up the small bag of groceries. "Oh, Scully... I think it was all related to us." 

*********** 

The inside of the small house reminded her of one of the smaller houses she had lived in when they had been on base; before her father had finally settled down and bought a large one for her mother and the rest of the family. It was functional; with a living room, kitchen, two bedrooms - one with bunk beds; which she assumed would be Mulder's and his sister's. Walking into the kitchen, she unpacked the few cans they had brought up - Mulder had explained that they would probably have to spend the night there. 

Moving past her, he hung up his coat on the rack and picked up the broom and dustpan nearby. "Have to clean up the broken parts of the lamps; or we'll slice our feet to shreds." His face was a mixture of relaxation and of barely restrained tension. "I broke a lot of them; but there's enough left that we'll be able to see." 

"Well, I brought flashlights, just in case." She watched him grin at this, and knew he was going to be just fine. 

Hearing him shuffle around in the living room; Scully reached up and pulled down two plates and two mugs, intending to wash them out and let them dry before they had to use them. The taps were creaky, but the water still ran clear and full. Her hands drifted over the counter top, her mind automatically drafting a picture of the elder Mulder as she stood here, so many years ago with a younger Fox and Samantha and Bill Mulder running about the house. 

A part of her ached for him; for the lost childhood he had been forced to relive coming up here. But if there was a clue to be found, she knew he would be the only one who could find it here. 

"Hey, Scully!" She whirled as the fine spray of water caught her full in the face, soaking the front of her sweatshirt and running down her jeans. Laughing as he ducked around the corner, Mulder flattened himself against the wall, water pistol at the ready. 

She should be there... right about... now! 

Ducking around again, he froze at the empty room. 

"Mulder..." Whirling back, he caught a good quarter glassful of water full in the face. "I did have brothers, if you remember..." 

With a roar he lunged for her; firing madly at the fuzzy figure as he tried to clear his eyes. His foot caught on the edge of a cord and he fell forward; his arms flailing wildly for support. 

Grabbing onto the first thing in range to break his fall, Mulder didn't have time to work the logic that taking ahold of a smaller, lighter person wasn't going to defeat the gravity of his larger form heading towards the floor. 

So Scully found herself lying atop the laughing man, still holding the empty mug as he stared up at the wooden ceiling. Pointing the pistol at her face point-blank, he grinned. 

"Give up?" 

"You are incorrigible." She smiled back, pushing herself up on her hands. Which happened to be on his chest; and which succeeded in pushing all the air out of the unfortunate man, who wheezed as he sat up. 

"Your point?" He puffed, sitting up. 

"Can you turn the heat on a bit?" Scully rubbed her arms. "I'm getting a bit chilled; and if we're going to be here until tomorrow I think I might want a bit of warmth." 

"You've got your choice - furnace which may blow up since we didn't maintain it or I'll go get some wood from the stack that hasn't rotted out for the fireplace." His eyes twinkled. "I'm going for the wood." 

She didn't correct him on anything. She was afraid to. 

*********** 

A few minutes later she heard a groan as a rumbling noise caught her ears; the sound of a woodpile collapsing. With a chuckle she started her own search of the house, knowing he would be busy for a bit. 

************ 

A good hour later she crouched by the roaring fire and handed him a sandwich, stifling a laugh at the filthy shirt he wore and the new scrapes on his hands and arms. "For your efforts." Sitting up behind him on the couch, she took a bite of her own and watched the flames leap up. 

Sliding up to sit beside her on the floor, Mulder sighed. "Why do you think she came up here to meet him?" 

The redhead paused before answering. "Mulder, they knew each other. They must have; or he wouldn't have been able to get her to come here." 

He nodded, chewing slowly. 

"Do you... do you remember ever seeing him before you met him in Skinner's office?" 

A shake of the head, too fast for comfort. 

"Mulder... if he knew this place existed, he might have been here before." She took a deep breath. "Mulder, he knew your mother. He might have been friends with her before..." 

An angry shake of the head. "No. Not her. My father might have been involved in a lot of things but not my mother." 

"She knew about the Choice. She didn't make it, but she knew." 

He stared into the fire, his head close to her knee. 

"Maybe your father knew him as well. Maybe they worked together. Maybe..." She banished the thought from her mind. "Maybe I'm just too tired to think straight." 

Leaning back, he rested his head on her leg. "I don't know, Scully. I think that whatever it was, she didn't go along willingly. She couldn't have." 

Stroking the back of his head gently, she nodded. 

"Okay, Mulder." She took another bite of her sandwich. "Let's finish this then start again. We both might have missed something inside here; then we can go on the dock while there's still sunlight." 

He nodded, closing his eyes. "She couldn't have..." 

*********** 

He had forgotten how beautiful the sunset was up here; how the pink and orange hues bounced off the lake and back up to the horizon. Picking up a rock, he expertly skipped it four times over the top of the water before it sunk into the lake. 

"Not bad." Scully appeared, now wearing a plaid lumberjack coat. "But watch this." Choosing a stone carefully, she watched it bounce six times before plunking under the waves. "Got to get the right bounce." 

Mulder nodded, picking another stone. "Nothing here, is there?" Five skips. 

"Nothing obvious. Mind you, we haven't broken everything that can be broken yet." Six skips again. 

"I don't want to smash everything in the house, Scully." Six skips. "I just wanted to see if I had missed another one of those weapons." 

"Or anything else." Six skips and a loud splash. "This is a nice place, Mulder. You must have loved coming up here." 

Seven skips. He grinned. "I did. When she told us we weren't ever coming back I was upset. Didn't even get to come pick up our toys or clothing. She just locked it up tight and told the neighbours to check on it once in a while." 

A loud kerplunk. No skips. "Maybe when she's better you can come up here again with her. Be good for her to rest." 

Mulder shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. "I'll see. Right now I don't know if I want to come back here again." Turning on one heel he headed back to the house, leaving her on the dock. 

She found him sitting in front of the fire again, the mask unsuccessfully hiding the troubles raging under his skin. Sitting behind him, she put her hands on his shoulders; massaging the tense muscles under the cream-coloured Irish sweater. 

"It's all right, Mulder - you'll be just fine." The redhead murmured. "You're a survivor." 

He nodded. "And that's the sad part of it, isn't it? I'm the survivor - and no one else." Reaching up and behind him, he pulled her down and around in front of him; hugging her tight as he pressed his face into the flannel shirt at the back of her shoulder. "Maybe you... maybe you're a survivor too." 

Scully sighed, now facing the flames. Wrapping her hands over his, she felt him sigh into her back. "That's a promise, Mulder." Reaching over, she tossed another log on the fire; leaning back into his embrace as the sparks bounced out towards them for a few seconds. "Maybe all of us are..." 

************* 

Downtime III - Day Seven (7/8) by Sheryl Martin 

Lifting her head off the couch pillow, Dana Scully sniffed at the crackling sound of bacon coming from the kitchen. With a yawn and a long cat-like stretch; she rolled off the sofa and got to her feet, tugging down the flannel shirt where it had ridden up sometime in the night. 

"Hey, sleepyhead." Mulder didn't turn from the stove where he stood, watching the frying bacon. "I didn't want to come get you until it was almost ready - which would have been another two minutes." 

"Thanks." Taking a mug down and plugging the kettle in, she carefully measured the instant coffee out of the bottle. "Where did you sleep? Last thing I remember was you on the floor beside me after we fought over who got the couch." 

He flipped a thick piece expertly. "I slept on the floor." His voice dropped a notch from casual to tense. "I didn't feel comfortable any place else, to tell the truth..." 

She didn't pursue it, just nodded and watched him stir the eggs in the other frying pan. "So... what do you want to do today?" 

Sliding the bacon onto a paper towel for drying, he turned all the burners off. "I think I need to go see my mother one more time - you said we had to get back to Washington." 

"Not immediately." She pointed out. "Skinner'll cut us as much time as he can, but we need to do some work..." 

"No." He said. Scraping out the eggs onto two plates, he heaped a large amount of bacon on his plate, only a few pieces on Scully's. "I think I need to get back to work. You're telling me that she might never wake up; and I can't spend the rest of my life hovering over her bed." Putting the plate down in front of her, he paused. "And I need to start working on those leads we have." 

"What leads?" She picked up a crisp piece of bacon and crunched on it noisily. 

"SRSG. X wrote it there for some reason. And even if I can't get back to the farm, I know where it is. I have to start pulling in favours to find out who owns the land; what's there... what is going on out there with the bees and the clones and..." He stared at his plate, then began to spoon the eggs into his mouth. "I need to work." 

She took another mouthful of coffee, watching him closely. "If that's what you want to do, then that's what we'll do. But I don't want you to feel that you have to rush back. Your mother's stabilised, and that's the important thing right now." The woman waited for a minute before continuing. "Mulder, I don't want you to make this more of a vendetta than it is already - the Bureau needs you." 

He looked over at her, his eyes expressionless. "The Bureau needs me? Scully, there's plenty of agents to do my job. And plenty more who can be banished to the basement for lesser crimes." 

She nodded. "But you're the best. You know the two of us have a high percentage of solving cases. And even if they've got nothing to do with the conspiracy, they're important enough to the people involved that they have to be solved." She paused again. "I need you back in the office, Mulder - but not at your own personal agenda." 

Mulder took a mouthful of coffee, then smiled at her. "You're worried, aren't you? That I'll start to close myself off from the rest of the world; from the other cases because of this?" He wagged a finger at her. "I'm the shrink, you're the doctor. I know exactly what's going on in your mind, Scully." Finishing off the last of the bacon, he winked at her. "You're not getting rid of me that fast or that easy, Dana Scully." Picking up his plate, he went to the sink and turned on the water. 

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear you say." Scully said quietly, so softly that no one could hear her. With a secret smile she worked on her own breakfast. 

*********** 

She found him out on the front porch, hands in his pockets and staring around himself like he was seeing the cabin for the first time. Making enough noise so that he wouldn't be startled; she came up beside him. 

"Penny for your thoughts." 

He looked up at the trees; now fully in their fall colours. "I don't know if I ever want to come back here again. There are so many good memories here; of me and Sam... of my family being together." 

"And?" 

Mulder sighed. "But now I don't know. Just seeing those pictures and knowing he was here makes me sick to my stomach. And that he knows my mother in some way..." He didn't finish the sentence. 

She nodded. "But you still don't know." Leaning into his side, she balanced herself against him. "And in view of what you do know, of what you remember to be the truth, I'd think that you would take facts over theories." 

He looked at her suddenly, his dark eyes searching for the words. With a sigh, he put one arm around her waist. 

"Yah. I guess memories will have to do for now. Let's go." 

********** 

The drive back was quiet and peaceful, Scully taking the wheel. Mulder had dozed off again, his head rolling back and forth on the headrest that he always had to adjust when they switched sides. 

She picked up the cell phone, hoping they were in range. 

"Hello? Yes, this is Dana Scully... I'm checking on the progress of... yes, that Mrs. Mulder." She couldn't help smiling at the promptness of the nurse on the end of the line. They couldn't have been that bad... "Yes? Okay... thank you very much." Putting the phone down, she looked over again at Mulder, seeing the peacefulness on his face. 

********* 

The hospital was filled with friends and families; all visiting their relatives or other friends. Mulder deftly sidestepped one youngster racing down the hall as they made their way to the elevator. 

"So she's fine?" The door closed shut on the two of them and about fifty other people, or so it seemed. Pressed against his front, Scully nodded, her eyes on the front doors. 

"She's doing well. Nothing unexpected, and that's the best thing." She could feel his breath on the back of her neck, sending a shiver down her back. 

"Did you tell her about us?" 

"About us what?" She frowned, not knowing what he was talking about. 

"Oh, that you're leaving Clyde and the kids to move in with me in the trailer park." 

The withering glare shot in her direction by every other woman in the small space just about killed her. 

"Well, I was going to." She smiled sweetly, knowing he couldn't see her. "Right after we discuss your separation and financial support claim with that blond surfer from California... Chris, wasn't it?" 

Scully could hear him swallow, knowing that now the death stares were being tossed at him. Right then the doors opened on the ICU floor, and the pair tumbled out of the crowded elevator. They kept their faces stoic until the doors shut, then Mulder fell against the wall, wheezing as he tried to contain his laughter. For her part, Scully just crossed her arms and smiled at him. 

"You..." He leaned against the wall, trying hard to catch his breath. "Are a wicked, wicked woman." 

"Thank you." A small bow in his direction. "Just don't ever get me really mad at you, Mulder. Or next time I have to shoot you, I'll aim low." 

"Ow." 

********** 

Taking the chair by the bedside, Mulder brushed away a grey strand of hair that had fallen over his mother's eyes. "Mom..." He cleared his throat of the sudden lump that had appeared. "Mom... I went up to the summer house. I found something there before; and I went back to see if there was another one..." 

She didn't move or react, her limp hand resting in his. 

"Mom, I've got to get ready to go back to work. You know I have to..." Pressing her fingers to his, Mulder sighed. "I have to start working on these clues and make them fit together. But I'll be back, every few days or so. Believe me, I'll be here. And when you wake up, I'll be right here." 

He watched her face again, memorising every line and crease. She looked so old... 

"Mom... I love you. Please come home soon." 

************ 

Scully stood by the nurses station as Mulder came down the corridor. Walking like a fifty year old man, he leaned on the counter for support. "You've got my number?" He asked the young nurse at the desk. 

She nodded, a certain degree of awe on her face; combined with a bit of unabashed envy. "We've got you at home, at work... your cell phone and Dr. Scully's here as well. If her status changes in any way, we'll be in touch in a few minutes." 

Nodding wearily, he pushed himself away from the counter and lurched down the hall; Scully close behind. Pushing the button for the elevator, he finally looked at her. 

"She'll wake up." It was a statement, not a question. "When she's ready, she'll come back." 

The doors slid open, the small space thankfully empty for once. Scully followed him inside; pushing the floor button. 

"Of course she will, Mulder." She looked at him. "She'll come back to you." 

She smiled at him. 

He smiled back. 

The doors slid shut. 

*********** 

The hotel room had been cleaned while they had been gone; the housekeepers discreetly changing the sheets on both beds and leaving the connecting door unlocked. Scully looked around the rooms, noting the small items she had left in certain places as still being there. Mulder kicked off his shoes with a sigh, flopping his long body onto the bed and reaching for the remote control. 

She went into her own room; busying herself with packing the few things she had left out, and making sure that the laptop was securely packed for the trip back to Washington. 

"Scully..." A voice drifted in from the other room. She went to the doorway, looking at the man lying on the bed. 

"Scully..." He licked his lips, looking from her to the television set and back again. "Am I doing the right thing? Leaving her here, I mean... I've got vacation time coming up..." 

Crossing her arms, she leaned on the doorframe. "Mulder, you can do that. You can do anything you want to - we just need to check in with Skinner and deliver this report. Then we can both take a vacation - I'll go visit Mom and maybe take Jackie out for dinner to make up for setting Mom on her; or visit my nephew. Whatever you want to do, Mulder, is fine with me." She had come across the room, to stand by the bed. "It's not a sin to want to be with her." 

"Yah." Biting his lip, he slid over and patted the mattress. "Wanna watch the Discovery Channel with me? New show coming on about UFOs - Future Fantastic." 

She looked at the bed for a second, then shrugged and sat down; flipping her shoes off. Stretching out beside him, she wriggled her toes, chuckling at how much distance there were between her feet and his. 

"What's so funny?" Mulder looked over. 

"It's just that even horizontal, I'm shorter than you." The redhead pointed down at her feet. "And that's kinda depressing." 

"Oh, it depends..." Putting his arm under her head as an addition to the pillow already there, he shrugged. "Horizontally, I don't really see height as being important as long as all the right parts are in the right places." 

"Gee, thanks Mulder." She looked at the screen. "I thought you knew all this stuff." 

"I do." He grinned. "But I hear the host is one hot babe, and..." The pillow muffled the rest of his sentence. 

************** Downtime III - Day Eight (8/8) by Sheryl Martin 

He woke alone in the bed and in the darkness and was lost for a few seconds until he came back to himself and realised where and who he was. Lifting his wrist, he tapped the small light to read his watch; seeing that it was barely after five in the morning. 

His heart pounded frantically in his chest; the last memories of a bad dream erasing itself from his consciousness, leaving only the thudding to remind him. With a sigh he swung his feet off the bed, feeling the thick hotel carpet under his toes. 

He had fallen asleep, obviously. And Scully had, at some point, turned off the set and gone back to her own room without him noticing. He must have been pretty tired to not notice that. 

Padding his way across the floor to the connecting door, he pushed it open a few inches to see if she was still awake. 

Sound asleep. Curled up in a mass of blankets and pillows and red hair flaring out over the white sheets in a way that made his heart began to pound again, but not from fear. 

Sitting at the table, he propped his chin up with one hand and let his gaze wander over the few scattered pages of the rewritten report; the official one now safely secured in her laptop. She had insisted that they put everything down; give the Bureau the truth. Even at his insistence that she try to distance herself from the more... outlandish theories he had put forth. 

But she would have none of that. Instead she was willing to be painted with the same brush as he was; to be permanently condemned to the basement and to the X Files with him. Or, if she ever got out, to have their relationship hanging over her like a sword for the rest of her career. 

Why? 

Why did she follow him? He sure didn't ask for it, and he was dammed sure that he didn't deserve it. But she did, and that scared him sometimes. 

Because of all the strange things in the world that he was willing to keep his mind open to, there were still concepts that scared the daylights out of him. And this was one of them. 

"Mulder..." The sleepy yawn brought him back. "No offence, but I really hate playing to an audience..." 

"Oh, go on back to what you were doing." He quipped, seeing her pale smile in the dim light creeping up under the curtains. "Unless you want to give me more of a display..." 

The pillow missed his head by a good two feet. "Go 'way. I'll be with you after I take a shower and then we can start back." The last strand of copper hair disappeared back under the covers. "I'm not coming out until you leave." The mumbled words barely reached his ears. 

"Why, Scully... I never guessed you as the type to sleep in the nude..." He scratched under his shirt, suddenly very aware that he was fully dressed. "Gotta tell ya, I'm impressed..." 

She suddenly shot up out of the covers, showing that she was, indeed, wearing a pair of dark blue silk pyjamas. "Mulder..." Reaching over, she put her hand on the pistol on the night table. "One..." 

Getting to his feet, Mulder let out a melodramatic sigh as he trudged back towards his own room. 

******** 

Taking the thick overnight bag from her, Mulder put it carefully in the trunk beside his own smaller plastic bags holding his new clothing. Slamming the lid down, he walked around to get into the driver's seat. Once inside, he waited while Scully finished up inside the hotel. 

She appeared at his side, waving a long hotel bill. "The Bureau's going to love this one. And Skinner might regret letting us charge it all back to them." 

He shrugged. "Allowable expenses. As long as you didn't look at any of those movies on the pay channels..." The answering snort make him grin as he carefully pulled out onto the highway. 

She looked over at him a good half hour later; seeing the silence and grief in his face. 

"Mulder..." 

"Hmm?" 

"Everything's going to be fine." Reaching over, she patted his thigh. "Your mother's getting stronger and stronger every day. She'll wake up soon and then everything will be better." 

"Maybe." He turned his head to look at her; still keeping one eye on the road. "And when she does, what will we have to say to each other, Scully? Where do we start from?" The deep sigh almost broke her heart. 

"The same place we all start from." She whispered. "She is your mother..." 

The answering nod didn't reassure her any. 

********* 

Wearily shutting the engine off in front of the apartment building, Mulder smiled at his partner. "Mulder's taxi service..." 

"Thanks." Getting out of the car, she went around and lifted the trunk. "Do you want to come in for a coffee?" 

Mulder paused, then shrugged. "What the hell - not like I have a lot to do, right?" 

"Gee, thanks for the enthusiasm." Scully handed him the thick overnight bag for him to carry as they walked towards the building. 

********* 

Taking the bag from him and heading towards the bedroom, the red haired woman tossed it into one corner; mentally making a promise to unpack it later. As she came out, Mulder stood in the centre of the living room; his hands in his pockets. 

"Scully..." The words were thick and low. 

"Yes?" 

"I... ah..." He scuffed his foot on the wooden floor, remembering with a shock what violence had been bled into the planks barely a year ago. "Thank you for the past few days. I don't know what I would have done without you." 

She smiled, walking over to him. "You hate to do that, don't you?" 

"What?" 

"Thank someone. Anyone." 

"Not really." He grumbled, sounding ever so much like a young boy caught with his fingers in the cookie jar. "Just when it's you." 

With a soft laugh she wrapped her arms around him in a tight, quick hug before heading for the kitchen. "Don't ever change, Mulder." 

"As you wish." He said quietly after her. "As you wish..." 

************* Downtime IV: Prologue (1/8) by Sheryl Martin 

Journal Entry # 551 

Blood and snow. 

Fire and ice. 

Red and white. 

The colours of my flag. And I've been up on this damn mountain way too long. Feels like six months, for ferschlugging's sake... though I know it's only been a few days. 

But she is dying. 

And he is dead. 

And there's going to be hell to pay when I get back to Washington. 

********** 

Journal Entry # 552 

The helicopter didn't take long to get us off the mountain. The storm had passed over; the bodies still frozen stiff as we loaded them into the cargo bay and then climbed in for the trip down. 

I let them unload the bodies first, then turned to the pilot. Funny how you can convince people to fly to major airports when you outline how you plan to dissect their bodies. 

Learned that from Dana. 

Brian just stared up at the chopper as we lifted off again. I don't know if he ever did call in me as AWOL - although I'm sure I'll pay for it later on. 

We landed in Vancouver in time for me to make the redeye to Washington. I must have scared the hell out of the customs officer; because he just waved me onto the plane without checking me over too much. 

And I was glad for that much. I was afraid that they would cancel my passport again, the bastards. 

Although I do carry a spare. 

Hey, I got connections. And another name, to boot. 

Can't wait to make it legal. 

The flight attendants kept their distance from me for the flight, loading my tray with munchies and drinks. I figured out why when I got into the washroom. 

I looked like hell. 

And smelt like it. 

Nothing a few hours in a hot tub wouldn't fix. Along with a ceremonial burning of my parka and my clothing, of course. 

********** 

Journal Entry # 553 

He's alive. 

She's alive. 

And I'm going to kill someone anyway. Just to get it out of my system. 

Walter met me in the hallway; peering over the top of his glasses at me as the security men hovered behind me. Can't blame the hospital for thinking I was a bit... dangerous. 

They're halfway to the truth. 

He filled me in, told me what had happened. 

Man, what a spin. I swear, a few days on a mountain and the world turns upside-down. 

Maggie was there too - just coming out of Dana's room. She threw her arms around me and just cried. 

The priest looked at me kinda strange. 

"You must be Jackie." 

I nodded, letting Maggie lean on me. 

"I've heard a lot about you." He put a hand on Maggie's shoulder. "Any relation to the..." 

I shrugged. "Depends on who you talk to." 

Maggie chuckled, pulling away. Her eyes were bright and happy and I could almost forget that she wasn't my mother for a second. 

"Go on in." She smiled at the priest. "Go on..." 

He was there when I walked in. 

Mulder. 

Very much alive and well. 

I could have shot them both. 

Instead, I hugged the hell outta them. 

"God, St. George..." Mulder wrinkled his nose at me. "Where the hell have you been?" 

"Cleaning up a mess someone left for me." I looked at him. "You should know." 

Dana had a bit of colour in her cheeks; better than I remember her for the last few months. She looked... alive. 

She smiled. 

He smiled. 

And the world has changed a lot since I saw that happen. 

********** 

Journal Entry # 554 

Walter filled me in on what he knew. Dana and Mulder told me the rest. 

What a bittersweet victory. 

But he is alive and she is alive. 

Skinner tells me that they're taking a week off together. Well, Mulder to be resurrected AGAIN for the paperpushers; Scully to just recuperate. 

Dying takes a bit of time to get over. 

Another week of downtime. 

Saints preserve us. 

Me, I've got a hot bath and massage waiting for me. Courtesy of the Wookie. 

And I think the bad guys out there better take notice. 

Because Mulder and Scully are out for the truth and nothing's going to stop them this time. 

Heck, if death won't do it; nothing will. 

***************** 

Downtime IV - Day One (2/8) by Sheryl Martin 

"I can walk..." 

"No, you can't." Mulder stood back from the hospital bed, his arms crossed in front of him; a sly grin on his face. "And it's the rules." He looked sideways at the waiting nurse. "Right?" 

The woman smiled and nodded. "At least to the entrance, Ms Scully." 

With an angry snort the redhead stood up from the bed; tugging her sweatshirt down over her jeans and plunked herself into the wheelchair. "Right. But no speed bumps..." 

Mulder opened the door for the nurse to push his partner out into the hallway; the suitcase already in his free hand. "Hey, I think it'd be funny to have you readmitted for a broken leg..." 

In a few minutes they were at the front doors; Mulder's car waiting at the curb. Scully raised an eyebrow. "You got a spot in front?" 

He shrugged, shifting the suitcase to his other hand while he opened the passenger door. "Rank does has its privileges, Scully..." Extending his hand to her, he watched carefully as she got to her feet and walked the few steps to the car seat. "Careful..." 

Sliding into the car, she snorted. "Mulder, I'm fine." Snapping the seat belt in place, she waited for him patiently. 

"She's really much better company when she's sick, isn't she?" He quipped to the nurse as he walked around the other side of the car to get in; tossing the suitcase in the trunk. 

The redhead smiled at the nurse. "Thank you." 

She nodded in reply. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I hope not to see you again." 

Dana chuckled. "That makes two of us." 

A low voice came from her left. "Three." 

********* 

"Give me the damn bag." 

"Nuh-uh. Not until we get inside your apartment." Mulder lifted the suitcase over his head, way out of her reach. "Good thing you're wearing running shoes." 

"Lucky for you." Grumbling, she searched for her keys. "Or you'd be checking yourself into the hospital for fractured shins." 

"Oh, Scully..." He sighed. "No fun at all..." 

Swinging the door open, she smiled as she swung it back; watching as he narrowly caught it before it smacked him in the face. "Just not with you, Mulder..." 

Dropping her jacket on the couch, she walked into the kitchen; inhaling the familiar scents of her home with relish. A small tin can sat on the counter; a card propped up beside it. 

"Who's it from?" Mulder appeared from behind her. 

"The tea is from my mother - and I'm to call her later on today when I feel up to it." A soft chuckle. "I assume you and her fought over who got to bring me home." 

"Well, actually..." The tall man shuffled his feet, staring down at the floor. "She kinda insisted. Said that I would be more able to order you around than she could." 

Shaking her head, Scully began to open the canister; reaching over the stove to get the teapot and the small silver ball for the leaves. "That I find hard to believe. She's always been able to terrify all of us; even more than Dad could..." Her voice trailed off as her mind raced backwards over time. 

"Scully..." A soft touch on the arm. "Scully, you should rest. Doctor's rules." Taking ahold of her gently, he led her towards the bedroom. "I'll get it ready and bring in a cup." 

"I'm fine, Mulder..." Shaking off his arm, she walked into the bedroom. "And this time, stay out of the dark spots." 

"Whatever you say, FBI woman." Reaching for the doorknob, he closed the door behind him. 

Wrapping her arms around herself, the petite woman walked around the small bedroom; surveying the bookshelves. So many books she had planned to read when she got a chance, when she had the time... 

And then suddenly there was no time. No time at all for anything. 

And just as suddenly there was. Putting a hand up over her shoulder, she traced the small incision on her neck. 

Ironic for science to both save her and trap her. So ironic that she wanted to kill whoever was laughing at this cosmic joke. Because it just wasn't funny anymore. 

Sitting down on the bed, she propped herself up against the headboard; pulling over one of the medical magazines from the stack lying on the night table. 

With a shock she realised that it wasn't necessary anymore. No studies for magic cures; no keeping up with the latest radical developments or theories. None of that anymore. 

Because she was alive. 

Her eyes strayed to the handwritten notes inserted between each magazine, tips and theories and observations she had made. And beside them; cross-references to the Allentown woman. 

Her stomach turned, the burning nausea tearing at her throat. 

They were all dead. Maybe because they had taken it out. Carried it with them in their purses like a small trophy of their ordeal. 

So close to them, to their dying and wasted bodies. 

So far away that no one ever suspected. 

The first tear broke free, dropping onto the magazine cover with a loud splash. Then another, and another. 

Until all she could do was scream; tossing the damp paper across the room as her hands flew up to her face to try and contain her pain and relief and guilt because she would live. 

Because she was alive. 

The door flew open. 

Suddenly arms were around her, holding her close as she wept for the dead; wept for the dying who she didn't know and wept for Peggy and wept for herself. 

"Shush..." A hand ran over the back of her neck and down her back, rubbing small circles over the sweatshirt. "It's okay, Scully." 

She burrowed into his chest, heaving sobs rocking her body. "God, Mulder... all those women... all those families..." 

"Yah." His voice was dry and tight above her. His grey shirt rubbed against her face as he took a deep breath. "I... I put out an alert through the guys. If we can reach anyone else, maybe we can save them. Tell them what to do..." 

"If they believe you. If that's what it was." The snuffled reply came. 

"If they believe us." A deep sigh raising and lowering her head on his chest like a roller-coaster ride. "Scully, it isn't your fault for living." 

"I don't..." She paused, trying to gather her thoughts. Mulder patted her back again. "Mulder, I don't know if it was the chip that cured me." 

The hand paused for a second on her skin before continuing. "Or what?" 

Her hand went up to finger the delicate chain. "I... maybe it was a combination of the treatments; maybe..." 

He looked down with a soft smile. "Maybe a prayer?" 

Pulling away, she swiped at her nose with the sleeve of her shirt; her feet still tucked up under her. "Mulder, I don't know..." Looking down at the thick quilt, she ran a hand along the stitched squares. "Maybe it was all three. Science, faith and the supernatural..." 

Sitting back now so that his back was against the headboard, Mulder chuckled. "The Holy Trinity as rewritten by Saint Scully..." Reaching out, he tucked a finger under her chin and pulled her face up to meet his. "Either way, you're alive." 

"And they're not." 

"You are." Sliding off the bed, Mulder tugged at her hand. "I did make the tea - feel up to some real food for dinner?" 

Climbing off the mattress, the redhead shrugged; trying to regain her composure. "I assume we're ordering in..." 

"Pizza. Super deluxe." He grinned. "Extra onions and anchovies." 

Scully wrinkled her nose. "Hope you don't have a date for tonight." 

Stopping suddenly in the hallway, he pulled her hand up; kissing the palm lightly. "Only with you." 

Their eyes locked for a second until Scully broke free, brushing by him with a soft laugh. "I'm going to call Jackie - tell her that I'm home." 

"Sure - I'll use my cell to order the food." Letting her rush into the living room, Mulder shook his head. 

Snatching up the phone, Dana pressed the speed dial button; feeling the blush on her cheeks start to subside. 

"Hello..." 

"Jackie..." Sitting down on the couch, she tucked her feet up under her again. "I just got home a while ago and thought I'd check and see how you were feeling..." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Mulder pass by on his way into the kitchen, phone precariously balanced on his shoulder as he waved his hands in the air to describe the toppings on the pizza. 

"I still can't get warm enough." The Canadian groused. 

Scully laughed. "Just don't get out of the bathtub." 

"Prune. I look like a prune. A raisin. A shrivelled up grape." 

"Get more massages." 

"Ah..." A sudden giggle. "That's a good idea. I'll suggest that to the engineer here. Are you feeling better?" 

Turning her head, the petite agent watched Mulder bring out the two mugs of tea; placing one in front of her on the coffee table. "I'm fine... Mulder's here and we're ordering in some food for dinner." 

"Well, just take it easy. I'll come on by tomorrow when my circulation's back to normal. Right now I feel like a ice cube." 

"I thought you Canadians loved winter." 

"Only as a good excuse to fool around in front of a fire under lots of blankets, Dana." St. George laughed. "Talk to ya later, okay?" 

"Right... bye..." Putting the phone down, Scully picked up the mug and took a tentative sip of it. 

"Taste okay? I tried to make it the way you like..." Mulder waited, seeing the approval in her face. 

"Mulder, stop catering to me. I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself." She sighed. 

Leaning forward, he motioned her to move towards him. She did so, suddenly suspicious. 

Glancing from side to side as if they were being watched, he whispered. "You see, Scully - your mother gave me a choice. Either I stay here and take care of you or she does. And I don't think you could stand your mother here twenty-four hours a day." 

She shot back in her seat suddenly. "You're not..." The words choked up in her throat. 

Mulder spread his hands. "Hey, just call your mother and I'll be out of here." He grinned. "But I don't think you will..." A pat on the couch. "And besides, I miss this couch. My other one's still being dry-cleaned." 

With an exaggerated sigh she sat back, cupping the hot mug in her hands. "I guess... I don't really feel like being alone tonight." 

"Well, you're in luck." Hopping from the chair to sit beside her, he patted her knee. "Knicks are playing tonight. And then the Bulls out on the West Coast." 

Tossing her head back Dana let out a laugh; not seeing the joy on Mulder's face at the sound of it. "Mulder, don't take this personally - but in retrospect maybe you should be dead." 

"Nah." He reached for the television control. "Been there, done that, got the shirt - twice." He waved two fingers in the air. Leaning back, he stretched his arms out along the back of the couch with a grin. "Besides, just imagine how that poor file clerk at the Bureau must love updating our files. Paperwork, indeed." 

************ 

Mulder looked down at the sleeping woman beside him, her head resting on his chest. The fiery hair spread out across his shirt, drifting up to almost touch his chin. 

Her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm as he watched, fascinated at the simple act of breathing. 

She was alive. 

She was going to be alive for a long time yet. 

And whatever had saved her had also saved him from himself. 

Carefully sliding one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders, he got to his feet. She mumbled as he stood up, but didn't move. 

Picking his way over the empty pizza box, Mulder walked down into the bedroom. She was light; too light. The sickness had taken a lot out of her, body and soul. Placing her gently on the mattress, he stepped back and stared at her again for a long minute. 

Reaching down, he traced her cheekbone with a single finger; a grin spreading across his face. 

"Welcome back, partner." Taking a few steps into the hallway, he turned to close the door but changed his mind. Leaving it open, Mulder walked back into the living room; turning off the lights as he went. 

Patting the couch, he sighed. "Betcha still have the same bumps as before..." Bundling up the pillow under his head, he reached for the control and turned the set off. 

"Sweet Dreams, Scully." He whispered to the darkness. 

************** 

Downtime IV - Day Two (3/8) by Sheryl Martin 

Turning over in the bed, Scully pressed her face into the pillows; her mind registering the different smells as they flowed over her. Forcing her eyes open, she stared at the pattern on the quilt for a long minute. Focusing in on the delicate stitching and then on the different textures filling the small world under her gaze. 

Everything seemed just a little off. Strange. Like she had to relearn everything over again. 

Sitting up slowly, she rubbed the back of her neck; feeling the tension in the rock-hard muscles. She had slept so soundly that she had hardly moved; her body protesting with aches and pains to remind her that she had been away from her workouts too long. Sliding to the floor, she switched the sweatshirt she had slept in for another t-shirt and padded her way out towards the kitchen. 

"Hey, Scully. Watch this..." Mulder stood in the kitchen, frying pan in hand. Deftly he tossed the pancake in the air, flipping it expertly to catch the undercooked side and putting it back on the stove. 

Leaning on the wall, she smiled; her arms crossed in front of her as she rubbed her eyes clear of the last vestiges of sleep. "Very good." 

He beamed. "Thanks. Just watch where you step - it took a few tries to get it right..." 

Scully's eyes flew to the floor before she realised that he was joking, looking back up to his wide grin. 

"Sit down - they're about ready. Although don't eat too fast, remember the doctor said to take it easy for the first few days." 

Sitting down at the table, the redhead smiled. "Considering you ate almost all of the pizza last night, I don't think I'm in much danger of that." 

Putting the plate in front of her, he sighed. "Hey, if you take too long to eat, it's not my fault. I was hungry." Taking the other chair, he lifted a glass of orange juice towards her. "Cheers." 

Scully sipped the juice. "Right..." A frown crossed her face. "I'm afraid to ask, but since when did you know how to make pancakes?" 

He gestured towards the counter. "An old family recipe - just add water and stir." Reaching for the syrup, Mulder poured a thick layer over the stack on his plate. "After all, you could use a few more pounds..." 

The phone rang as she opened her mouth to reply. Getting up from the table, she picked up the receiver. 

"Hello... oh, sir... yes, I'm feeling much better... thank you..." A glance at Mulder. "Yes, he's here..." Handing the phone to him, she sat back down; watching closely. 

"Yes, sir... ah... right... okay, I'll be there in a few hours... well, I'm not exactly dressed for the office..." Rubbing his hand over his chest and the t-shirt, Mulder smiled at his partner. "Right... I'll be there..." Putting the phone down, he sighed. "Skinner wants to see me for a fast meeting - says I don't need to worry about a tie for once." 

"This early in the morning?" Scully twisted around to look at the clock. Her mouth dropped open at the image. "Mulder... it's almost noon!" 

Chuckling, he reached for his trenchcoat. "Well, you needed the sleep. Get rid of those bags under your eyes." Stepping quickly to the door, he wagged a finger at her. "Call me if you don't feel good. Or if you want anything from the store." 

Taking another bite of the pancakes, she nodded. "Just go and see what Skinner wants..." 

"Sure." The tall man paused at the door. "What say I grab a few movies on the way back? No sports tonight..." 

"Whatever." She speared another piece. "Just promise me that you won't try and hit him again." 

"Me?" The feigned look of shock had her chuckling through a mouthful of syrup. "You know I'm a pacifist, Scully..." 

The door closed behind him. Stifling a yawn, the redhead walked to the couch and spread out along the cushions; flicking through the channels with the television control. 

********** 

Skinner's office felt a bit warmer than the last time he had been inside, Mulder mused. Seating himself in the chair, he waited for his superior to speak. 

Closing the folder in front of him, the balding man rubbed the bridge of his nose; pushing up under his glasses. "Do you have any idea how much trouble it is to keep resurrecting you, Mulder?" 

"Well, sir - I figured that if I do it enough times that I'll be eligible for my pension before long." The attempt at humour died quickly at Skinner's scowl. 

"Believe me, in the past few days I've considered doing the job myself just to make sure it's done properly." Leaning back in the chair, he stared at the space just over Mulder's head. "Tell me... when you were in the room with myself and Blevins and the rest of the committee, did you think about naming me as the murderer?" 

Shifting uncomfortably in the chair, Mulder waited for a second before answering. "Blevins suggested it." 

The lack of response in Skinner's face told him volumes. The AD nodded. 

"Scully thought I was the mole. Your betrayer." 

"Scully was sick." Mulder picked at an imaginary spot on his jeans. "She drew conclusions based on her evidence, and they proved faulty." 

"But you didn't know that before you got to the interview." Skinner pressed. "Why didn't you turn me in?" 

The silence hung between them like a shroud. Finally Mulder spoke. 

"Because I have faith in you." 

A frown sat heavy on Skinner's face; confusion. 

"Faith?" 

"Trust. I know you and I know you wouldn't betray us both to them." Their eyes locked in a tug-of-war. 

"You took a big chance, Agent Mulder." Breaking away, Skinner leaned back again in the chair. "A helluva chance. If Blevins had survived to be involved in the investigation, I wonder what would have turned up... But I'm sure it wouldn't have turned out the way you wanted it to." He looked down at the file. "As it is, your reinstatement is pretty well guaranteed - the Department of Defense is withdrawing their involvement and ruling that the death was indeed caused by Blevins. And that's closing the case as far as we're involved." He let out his breath slowly. "A helluva chance..." 

Mulder shrugged. "Sometimes you have to take a chance to win big." 

"And you think that you 'won big'?" The words grated out between the AD's clenched teeth. "Blevins is dead, Cancer Man is missing... and you're dammed lucky to even be working..." 

"Scully is alive." The gentle reminder shot between them. "And right now, that's enough for me." 

Skinner nodded. "I did want to... thank you for supporting me." A deep breath. "I know it must have crossed your mind to implicate me in the murder. Take the heat off of you and put it on me, if only until the tests proved otherwise. If they would." 

Shrugging again, Mulder got to his feet. "Doesn't matter now. Scully is getting better and we're ready to go back to work." 

Another nod of approval. "I hear you. Just be careful with Agent Scully. I don't want her pushing herself too hard, too fast." 

Pausing at the door, Mulder smiled. "I have faith in her as well..." He paused. "More than I have in me, at times..." 

*********** 

"Oh, man..." Jackie St. George cupped the mug of tea in both hands, bringing it to her mouth for a sip. "I'm still ferschlugging cold..." 

Sitting back on the couch, Dana shook her head. "You're sure you're fine?" 

"Oh, yah... just trying to get the last bit out of these old bones." With a weary sigh, she leaned back in the chair. "So what's up with you today? Feeling better?" 

"Yes... well, getting there..." A hand traced the delicate chain around her neck. "Jackie, can I ask you a personal question?" 

The Canadian raised her eyebrows. "Don't bang your head on the wall unless it's for a good purpose." She watched her friend's reaction. "Oh, it wasn't that?" 

Chuckling, the agent shook her head. "No... I was just wondering... what do you think God is?" 

"Oh, a heavy question." Taking another sip, the woman laid her head back and stared at the ceiling. "I think... I think God is... an elephant." 

Unfortunately Dana had just taken a mouthful of hot tea, with the result that it spilled out of her mouth and down her front. Putting the mug hurriedly down on the table, the redhead grabbed a handful of napkins and swiped at the wet stains. 

"Oh... too deep?" St. George didn't move. 

With a sigh and a shake of her head the petite woman turned back to her. "Okay, I'm asking..." 

"Well..." The Canadian pointed at the ceiling as she spoke. "You know that story about the four blind men trying to describe an elephant? The first one touches the trunk and describes it as a giant snake; the second the tusk and claims it's a spear; the third the thick legs and announces that it is a tree and the last the tail; saying that it must be a rope." 

"I've heard it..." 

"Well, I figure that's what God is like - a lot of people grabbing bits and pieces and all trying to define something that you can't see." St. George took another sip. "But then, I'm just a city girl..." 

Dana looked at her closely. "Since when did you become a philosopher?" 

A chuckle and answering smile. "Since I realised that the world is a lot more than what you can see and touch, woman. And if whatever you believe in works for you, then that's fine with me. Too many people making war over their version of the elephant for my tastes..." Another sip of tea. "And besides, if you want to believe that flossing your teeth brought on the remission, who am I to say no?" 

Scully nodded. "I just don't know... I mean, it's all about faith, isn't it? All of it..." 

"There are no athiests in foxholes, Dana. You know that." 

"But what if I lose it or I wander away again..." Shaking her head, the redhead sighed. "I just don't know..." 

Getting to her feet, the woman reached for her jacket, slipping the worn green fabric over her shoulders. "Dana, it's always been about faith. And love. Hell, took me too long to figure that one out. Consider yourself ahead of the game." Reaching down, she gave the woman a tight hug. "And I've got to go meet the Wook for dinner. Just make sure Mulder doesn't keep you up too late, okay?" 

"I promise..." 

"Or I'll tell your mother..." 

"In that case, I definitely promise. Given that she decided to entrust me to Mulder's care..." 

"Oh..." St. George stopped at the door. "Well, I guess you can always shoot him again, right?" 

*********** 

"The War of the Worlds..." 

"George Pal. Great special effects. A classic." 

"Alien, Aliens, Alien 3..." 

"The sequel's coming out in a few weeks - definitely going to go..." 

"MST3K: The Movie..." 

"And a bit of comedy to lighten things up..." Mulder fluffed up the cushion under his head as he stretched out on the sofa, leaving Scully a small square of fabric to curl up in. "After all, I think we need a little distraction, don't you?" 

*********** 

Scully looked over at the snoring man a few hours later; gently prying the controls out of his dangling hands. Turning the television and the vcr off, she reached for the blanket that lay across the back of the couch; draping it over the sleeping body. 

"See you in the morning, Mulder..." Placing a kiss on her fingers, she put them on his cheek, watching him stir only slightly at the familiar touch. "I've never lost faith in you... even when you've lost it in yourself..." 

*********** Downtime IV - Day Three (4/8) by Sheryl Martin 

She didn't feel so stiff this morning. Nor so disoriented. But Scully still felt like she was walking in a dream; that suddenly she would wake up and find herself back in the hospital. 

Ducking into the shower, she stared at herself in the mirror. Still a bit thin, but that would come back in time. Dark circles under the eyes, but fading rapidly. The hair... well, it would get back a bit more body with time. Absentmindedly she noticed the lack of cooking smells; leaping to the conclusion that Mulder must still be asleep. 

Draping the terrycloth robe around her, she made her way out to the living room; grimacing when she saw the time. Ten in the morning. Absolutely decadent, sick or not, to sleep in this late. She'd have to set the clock tomorrow. 

Mulder sat on the sofa in his jeans and shirt, leaning forward. Clutched in his hands was a familiar picture, one she had seen many times before in his apartment. 

But it was different this time. 

It had blood on it. 

Sitting down beside him, she gently put a hand on his knee. "Thinking again?" 

As if waking from a dream, he jerked his head to one side to stare at her. "I was just thinking..." Drawing a deep breath, he continued. "God, Scully... if she is my sister, if she is... his daughter..." Rubbing his forehead with one hand, he fought for the words. "My mother had... an affair with that bastard, that son of a bitch... and Samantha..." The words came out choked, garbled. "She said she had children; that she didn't know I was looking for her all this time. She said she'd be in touch with me..." He looked directly at Scully. "It was all for nothing, wasn't it?" 

She drew back, her forehead wrinkled. "All what?" 

"This..." He tapped the photograph. "All my searching, all the looking... all those years I hunted and hunted and fought and she was growing up and got married and has children. A husband and a family; a real life." A sad laugh broke free. "And what do I have? Nothing... nothing at all..." 

Reaching over, Scully gently pulled the picture free of his grasp and put it down on the table. "First, you don't know that she was truly your sister. From what we know, Smoking man hardly ever told the truth." Sitting back, she went on. "And if she was... Mulder, it's not uncommon for adoptees to have mixed feelings when confronted with families they never knew. To first find out that you were still alive, and then your mother... she bolted because she has her own life and has to try and deal with the reality of her past life and find a place to fit it in. Fit you in. And your mother." 

"But..." Her tone grew harsh. "I won't have you thinking that your life has been a waste, Mulder. You've helped people; saved lives... all in the pursuit of Samantha, but not to the exclusion of. If she is for real and you do have nieces and nephews, that's fine - but I don't think you have any reason to condemn yourself and invalidate the last twenty years of your life because of it." 

Lifting his eyes wearily from the floor, he tried to smile at her. "I guess the only thing to do is to go ask Mom." 

Shocked, Scully just nodded. 

"Want to come along?" The question was phrased more as a statement, not lost on the petite woman. 

"Yah. Just let me get dressed. And you should get into the shower." She wrinkled her nose playfully. "A bit ripe to go visiting..." 

*********** 

The drive was quiet, each lost in their own thoughts. Pulling the car up to the curb, Mulder looked up the walkway to the house. Rubbing his chin with a sigh, he turned to his partner. 

"How are you feeling?" 

She smiled. "You know I'm doing okay, Mulder. Rest is the best medicine right now." Turning her head, she looked up at the house. "But I think I'll wait here for you." 

"Ah..." Momentarily confused, Mulder fumbled for words. 

"Mulder, you're going in to ask your mother if she had an affair. I somehow don't think I would fit in that situation, and I really don't think I belong here for that." Taking the car keys from him, she undid her seat belt. "I'll just sit here and wait for you. Plenty of gas to keep the car heated, and I'll find a nice station on the radio." 

"Scully..." A low note of pleading crept into his voice. "I would like you to come along..." 

"No." A terse reply. "Mulder, it's not my place to be there. And something like this... well, if I had to ask my mother the question I don't think you would be comfortable there." 

He nodded in agreement, slowly but sadly. "Be back in a bit." Opening the door, he started to get out. 

"Mulder..." The voice drew him back inside the car for a second. Scully stared at him for a long minute before speaking. "Just remember - no matter what happens she is still your mother. And..." A fast glance up the small hill. "The stroke might have affected her memory. She might not truly remember anything." 

"I know..." He exhaled loudly. "And that's what makes it worse." 

Taking long strides up the walkway to the house, he watched as the figure disappeared from behind the curtains to reappear at the front door; swinging it open as he was pulled into her arms. 

"Fox!" A tight hug in his mother's arms. "It's been so long... I called and left a message a few days ago, but you never answered..." 

"I was... busy..." He let her draw him into the living room, let her seat him on the sofa. Sitting across from him, the older woman brushed away a stray strand of grey hair that had fallen into her mouth. 

"I know... I just get lonely sometimes, and when I saw the car pull up..." She stopped, puzzled. "Did you bring that woman you work with, that Scully?" 

"Yah... she's waiting in the car. We can't stay long." Getting up, Mulder tucked his hands into his pockets, staring at the floor. "Mom... we have to talk..." 

"Sit down, Fox. Sure we can talk." Reaching out, she pulled him down to the couch again. "We could always talk, you and I. At least we tried to." 

"The man... I know him as Smoking Man; the man you spoke to when you had your stroke up at the summer house..." He watched her face, registering every reaction for future recall. "Mom, I think he's dead." 

The pale skin grew a bit paler, but no other reaction. "What was his name?" She whispered, a slight tremble in her voice. "I don't remember his name..." 

"I don't know." He admitted. "But I know that he was shot, and that the body disappeared from his apartment." Dipping into his pocket again, he pulled out the bloodied picture. "Mom, he had this. He brought me... he came to see me with a woman..." The breath came out in an anguished pant. "Mom, it was Samantha. She said that he was her father. That she had been taken and told that we were all dead, gone." 

The woman reached over and plucked the picture from his hand. "I remember when we took this." She whispered. "It was impossible to get the two of you to stop fighting long enough for anything, much less sit for a photograph. We got lucky with this one, made lots of copies for our family. Best one we ever took of you two." 

"Mom..." He pressed onward. "Did you..." The words caught in his throat, choking him with the thought. "Mom... is she his daughter?" 

Looking up from the photograph, she stared at him as if waking from a dream. "You saw Samantha?" 

"Yes..." He nodded. "At least I think it was her." 

"How did she look?" A frantic question as she turned the photograph over and over in her hands; fingers brushing over the dried blood. 

"She looked... fine." Mulder looked away. "She said she had children, a life away from all of this. She didn't know you were alive... but he was her father, she said so." Turning back, he stared at her. "Mom..." 

Putting the picture on the table, she shook her head. "I... Fox, I don't remember so many things about the past... you know they said that there would be some problems..." 

"Mom..." Kneeling down beside her, he grabbed the photo and jabbed a finger at it. "Is she his daughter?" 

She looked down again at the smiling children, then stood up quickly; brushing him away. "Fox... I don't... I can't..." Putting one hand to her forehead, she let out a soft groan. "Please don't do this to me, not now. Not after all this time, after all that's happened..." 

Scrambling to his feet, Mulder strode to put himself between her and the doorway to the kitchen. "Mom... I have to know." Putting the picture up by his face, he took a deep breath. "Tell me what you know..." 

"I... Fox, I have to go lie down now..." Pushing by him, she walked towards the stairs. "I'm sorry..." She stared at him. "I'm so sorry ..." Turning away, she disappeared up the steps. 

Mulder stood there until he heard the bedroom door slam shut; staring at the picture. Tucking it back into his pocket, he walked out the front door; making sure it was locked. 

Scully watched him come down the walkway, his head bowed and his body slouched over. Turning the engine on, she waited until he had gotten in and fastened the seat belt before speaking. 

"I'm sorry, Mulder." A quiet statement. 

He looked up at the house, at the figure standing at the window on the second floor. "So am I, Scully." Turning away, he sighed. "Let's go." 

She put the car into gear, slowly driving away. 

Teena Mulder watched through the thin curtains as the car disappeared down the street, disappearing in the distance. Walking over to the bed, she sat down, opening the drawer in her night table. 

Pulling out a small framed picture, she stared at it. The men were familiar to her; all friends who Bill had worked with. Men she had come to know only by face and very few by name because that was the way things had to be. 

Standing beside her husband was a man smiling at the photographer, a cigarette clutched in one hand. 

Tears began to roll down her face as she cried for the dead. All of them. And for the parts of her that had died as well. 

********** 

Dana sniffed the tomato soup warming on the stove, testing the temperature with a quick dab of a finger. "Almost ready if you want to set the table." 

Nodding, Mulder methodically went about the task; silently laying out the spoons and napkins - placing a large pile of crackers by his own plate. 

Dishing out the soup into the two bowls, the redhead smiled as she saw the stack of crackers. "Planning to have a little soup with those?" 

"Well, I like my soup crunchy." The mumbled attempt at a joke wasn't lost on her as she sat down opposite him. 

They ate silently for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. Scully spoke first. 

"I'm sorry, Mulder." 

He crushed a cracker in one hand and added it to the slushy pile in the bowl. "She says she doesn't remember. Convenient, isn't it?" 

"She might honestly not, Mulder." Scully said. "She had a very traumatic episode. Her memory might be very impaired." 

"Or she won't tell me." Another crushed cracker. "Her own son. Won't even tell me if she thinks that could have been Sam; that she has any curiosity in what she's done with her life. God, Scully - she's a grandmother and she didn't even care about it." 

"You don't know that." She gently chided him. "It's not ever as clear as you'd like it to be. Back in that time, that part of our history the idea of having an affair wasn't anywhere near as acceptable as now. Not that it is, mind you... but she couldn't have told your father. Nor you." 

"That bastard..." Mulder angrily dunked his spoon in the soup. "He took her to raise as his daughter and never even told my mother..." 

"If that was Samantha." The gentle reminder. "Mulder, let it go..." 

"I can't." 

"Let it go for now, then. Let it rest until you can pursue it properly." Reaching over, she put her hand atop his; stopping his frenzied attack on the soup. "You have a life, Mulder. And it's a good one for what you've accomplished and who you've helped." 

"How can you say that, after what happened to you?" The whispered question was more to the bowl than to her, his face lowered. "After what they did to you because of me... to Melissa and to all those others..." 

Wrapping her fingers around his, she tightened the grip. "Mulder, you aren't any more responsible for any of this than the man in the moon. You didn't do anything to me, they did. All of them. And I don't hold you responsible for Missy or any of this." 

"Your brother does." The quiet retort. 

Scully sighed. "Bill is a bit... high strung at the best of times. And he's a big brother, which automatically makes him more critical of anyone. Especially when they're male and around his little sister." Another tight squeeze. "I chose the Bureau to help people and to fight injustice. And I'm still doing that. So are you. And that's all there is to it." 

Looking up, he blinked away a tear. "You make good soup, Scully." 

"You make good slush, Mulder." Releasing his hand, she gave him a sly smile. "And you're doing the dishes..." 

"Before or after the basketball game?" 

"Instead, if you don't get it in gear, partner..." 

************** 

Downtime IV - Day Four (5/8) by Sheryl Martin 

Opening her eyes slowly, Scully watched the living room rise and fall with the rumbling of her pillow. Up and down... a slight tremor... then another rise and fall. 

Her ears caught the distant sound of the radio playing - the one she had set in her bedroom to avoid sleeping in for the third day in a row. Nice try. 

"When this trouble passes over You and I will walk away Knowing that our love survived Another test of faith..." 

She listened to the rest of the song absentmindedly, her eyes closing again as she drifted in and out of sleep. 

Suddenly there was a sharp knocking at the door. Lifting her head from where it sat on Mulder's chest, she stared at it. 

Another rap. A voice called out. "Dana? It's Mom..." 

Mulder awoke with a start, fuzzily staring at the woman still leaning on his chest. "Hmrpf..." He looked at Scully in confusion. "You fell asleep..." 

Scrambling off the couch and away from him, she headed for the door. "Obviously about the same time as you did..." Tugging at her shirt, she gave herself a quick check before opening the door. 

"Mom!" Reaching out, she drew Margaret Scully into a deep hug, seeing the tall uniformed man standing behind her. "And Bill..." 

Mulder rubbed his eyes, leaning forward on the couch. "Hi, Mom..." He joked as the elder Scully walked into the room. "Sorry, I don't have any tea ready..." 

Margaret smiled. "We're not staying for long - Bill's ship leaves in a few hours and he promised me a bit of a tour. Reminds me of your father, Dana..." 

One arm wrapped around her brother's waist, the redhead laughed. "Dad always took us on the ships - mostly to show us the brig where he would threaten to leave us if we didn't behave while he was gone..." Disentangling herself, she stared at her watch. "Mulder, it's past ten again..." 

"Oh, yah..." Getting to his feet, he staggered towards the kitchen. "I'll get the kettle going..." 

"How are you feeling?" Margaret took his spot on the couch, beckoning Dana to sit beside her. "Father McKuen said that he might call you later on this week and check on your progress... you've got a lot more colour in your cheeks..." 

Walking by the two women, Bill Scully went into the kitchen. 

"Maybe on your way back you might..." Turning around, Mulder came face-to-face with a chestful of medals. "Oh... hi, Bill..." 

"I know this is none of my business..." The tall man dropped his naval hat on the counter. "But are you sleeping with my sister?" 

A look of surprise mixed with bewilderment and a dash of anger came over Mulder's face. "You're right - it is none of your business." He turned to take down two cups from the cupboard behind him. "Thanks for stopping by." 

"Mulder, I won't have you taking advantage of Dana while she's sick." The deep voice grew stern. "She doesn't deserve this." 

"What?" Turning around again, he brushed past the Navy man to open the refrigerator. 

"She's very vulnerable at this point in her life." Leaning on the door of the fridge, he stared at Mulder. "I don't think I need to repeat myself regarding my opinion of you." 

"Good." Pushing his arm off, Mulder closed the door. "Because I don't think that your sister would let anyone take advantage of her. Well, not unless she wanted them to..." 

The joke did nothing to console Bill. Leaning forward, he looked down at Mulder, his face scarlet. 

"I'm asking you again - are you sleeping with Dana?" 

"And I'm telling you again - it's none of your business..." Mulder stared up at the angry man. "Take your big brother crap and get out of my face..." 

"Hello..." They both turned to see Jackie St. George poking her head around the corner. "Mulder, sorry I didn't call - but I had to come over and give you this..." 

"And who's this?" Bill Scully snarled. "Another one of your girls, Mulder?" 

Jackie stepped inside the kitchen, a small smile on her face. "Excuse me? What did you call me?" 

Mulder took a sidestep away from the tall man as he turned to face the Canadian. 

"I said, are you one of Mulder's girls?" The male Scully sneered. "You know, one of his sluts, his women, his..." 

The rest of his speech disappeared under a grimace of pain as a hand shot out and grabbed him by the throat - the second hand taking ahold of his crotch as she pressed him against the wall. 

"I think I need to introduce myself..." A squeeze of both hands. "My name is Jaclyn Amanda St. George of the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service. I am most definitely not 'Mulder's girl'; and I know of at least one other man who would do me the favour of removing these..." Another gentle squeeze down below. "If he heard you refer to me by any of the other names..." 

"Ah, Jackie..." Mulder sheepishly smiled. "This is Bill Scully. Junior." 

The woman looked from the pained face of the man she had pinned to the wall to Mulder and then back again. "Bill Scully? Geez, man... your mother should have told you about me before. At least to warn you." Releasing him, she watched the man slump to the floor; both hands over his crotch. "You can thank your last name for still being able to father children..." 

Dana suddenly appeared in the doorway. Taking in the sight of her older brother on the floor, a smiling Mulder and a grinning St. George, she paused. 

"Bill... I think you better take Mom out now. She's waiting for you in the living room." A scowl at the other two. "And I'd like to have a word with you both in a few minutes..." 

Getting to his feet in obvious pain, Bill reached for his cap. "Right... Mulder, I'm not finished. Just remember what I said..." Straightening up, he looked at St. George. "Ah..." Turning on one heel, he fled the kitchen. 

"Was it something I said?" The woman looked at Mulder, straightfaced. 

Unplugging the kettle, he smiled. "I think you'll have to take that up with Scully. The sister. Or the mother, depending on if he tells her." 

"I don't think he's that stupid." Ducking her head around the corner, she watched Margaret leave, lifting her hand to wave. "Because then I'd have to tell what he called me. And if she doesn't kill him, Marty will. Slowly." 

Closing the door, Scully strode into the kitchen; her arms crossed in front of her. Blocking the only exit, she stared at the pair. "Okay. Want to tell me why my brother looks like someone kicked him in the balls?" 

Mulder stifled a chuckle, covering his mouth with a hand. St. George lifted her hands in the air and shrugged. "We had... a disagreement." 

"On what?" 

"My position in society." Walking towards the redhead, the Canadian smiled "Besides, your mother should have a more recent picture of him at home. Didn't recognise him at all..." Pushing by Scully, she headed into the living room. "But I did manage to get the traces that you wanted, Mulder..." 

"We're not finished with this..." Scully murmured to her partner as he walked by her; carrying the mugs. 

"Sure. Bring the teapot, okay?" 

"Right..." Spreading the pages out across the table, St. George tapped each one with a fingertip. "All variations on the name Raush. Roush, Rouche, you get the idea. Everything I managed to pull out of the Interpol database and the other networks." Handing a thick sheaf of paper to Mulder, she smiled. "There's a lot of alike names, as you can guess." 

"These are all companies?" Sitting down, Scully stared at the stack. "There must be hundreds of them..." 

"Thousands, actually. But he asked for everything." A thinner folder appeared out of the knapsack. "This is just the companies that deal with biotechnology, as you requested. But that's still a pretty tall list." Reaching down, she extracted one piece of paper. "Though I found a really cool writer on the net, last name Rasch. Great stories, romantic and cute and hot..." Jackie looked up to see Mulder staring at her with a bored look on his face; Dana with a sly smirk. "Ah... right... you can check this out later..." 

"Right. Thanks." Mulder began to gather the pieces up. "I'll get these to the boys and see if they can pull any traces out of them to the Bureau or to the Department of Defence." 

Scully sat back, stupefied at the amount of paperwork. "I didn't think it was that popular a name. And how do we know it's ever been registered?" 

"We don't." Mulder slid a thick handful into a plastic bag. "But it's something to start from. And right now, it's one of the best clues we've got to who's controlling the show." 

"And..." St. George sighed dramatically. "I've got a meeting back in Toronto later on tonight." 

"Something bad?" Scully asked. 

"Probably. I daresay they're wondering about the bodies I dropped off on the way here - I'll keep you out of it officially, but I think they know pretty well the game we're playing here." 

"Just keep clean." Mulder warned. "I don't want you to get into any trouble..." 

Getting to her feet, the Canadian laughed. "No more than usual, Mulder. Besides, I'll work some contacts back home and see what else I can get." 

"Jackie..." Dana started as the woman pulled on her jacket. "About Bill..." 

"Oh... sorry..." A sheepish smile. "Hey, I didn't know he was your brother. Really. Besides, he's a bit of a goof." 

Scully chuckled. "Actually, a lot at times. But he does care." 

"Yah, well..." St. George paused at the door. "Tell him to watch his language next time. My poor virgin ears can't take language like that." 

"Probably the only part left..." Mulder offered to his partner in a stage whisper. 

"Watch it, Mulder." The Canadian shot back. "You could be next." 

"Oooohhh... you're going to make Marty jealous..." 

With a loud sigh she exited the apartment, sending a sly wink to Dana. 

As the door shut, the redhead turned to Mulder; scowling. "Now it's your turn - what the hell were you two fighting about?" 

"Oh..." Slumping down on the sofa, Mulder scratched his chest; pulling the shirt up to reach. "He thought I was going to take advantage of you in your 'weakened state'." 

"He said what?" Striding back and forth, the petite woman shook her head angrily. "I'll kill him. I'll pull every hair out of his head..." 

"Think Jackie might have almost beat you to that one." 

"This isn't funny, Mulder." Stopping in mid-pace, she stared at him. "I don't need Bill or Mom or anyone choosing who or what I see or what I do with them. It's none of their business." 

"Hey, Scully..." Stretching his arm out along the back of the sofa, he smiled. "I'm with you in this one. He's just being the concerned big brother." His face fell. "He's already upset with me for you being sick..." 

Sitting down beside him, she shook her head again from side to side; the red hair falling around her head in fiery waves. "Mulder, you know that's not true. What happened to Missy, what happened to me - it's not your fault." 

"It's because of me." 

"It's because of the truth we both want to find." Taking a deep breath, she continued. "Blevins thought that by sending me to work with you that you would give up the search; that you would be forced to give up the X Files. Well, you didn't. And we both stayed the course, even with the dangers for both of us." Leaning back, she sighed. "That time you were gone, in the railway car - I thought you were dead. I thought that it was over; everything was gone and I had nothing left, Mulder. Someone's got to bring light to this darkness, to this shadow on the face of the earth. And it turned out that we're the ones to do it." Turning to face him, she smiled. "And if my brother doesn't understand, then know that I do. And I will." 

He opened his mouth to speak, then fell silent. They sat there for a long minute, each lost in their own thoughts. 

"I think..." Mulder spoke first, picking his words slowly and carefully. "That we are overdue for Chinese food for dinner." 

"It's not even lunch, Mulder..." Stifling a yawn, she looked at the clock. "Well, not really..." 

"Ah... I've got to get this packet to the Gunmen and get back to my place for some clean clothes." Getting to his feet, Mulder reached for his coat. "But I'll pick up some on the way back, okay?" 

"Sure..." Getting up as well, she watched him closely. "So what did my brother mean exactly, 'taking advantage'?" 

"Oh..." He shrugged nervously. "Nothing much. Just insulting my impeccable character and my purity of heart." 

They were at the front door now, Mulder shuffling his feet. "So I'll be back in a few hours - anything else I can bring you? Munchies of any sort?" 

Scully shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Mom stocked the kitchen pretty well before we came back." Reaching out, she took his hand and squeezed it. "I think most women would like to think you'd 'take advantage' of them. At the right time and place." 

Feeling his face begin to redden, he nodded. "Well, be back in a bit." Gently pulling free, he strode down the hall at a quick pace. 

Closing the door behind her, Scully leaned back; feeling the cool wood through her shirt. "Most women... wouldn't let you off so easily..." She whispered to the empty room. 

************ 

"Chopsticks are not a sign of an advanced alien culture, Mulder." 

"If you can use them, you're obviously more advanced than I am." 

"Here. Have a shrimp." 

"Ooooh, Scully... anything else you want to grab with those?" 

"In your dreams, Mulder. Pass the rice." 

"I hate when you play hard to get. And don't hog all the chicken balls." 

"Why?" 

"We may have to send a few to your brother..." 

************ 

Downtime IV - Day Five (6/8) by Sheryl Martin 

Mulder thought that he had a pretty good picture of what Hell was. Not so much the fire and brimstone that most religions preached, but a place where you were miserable and had lost everything. 

He was alone. 

He was in Hell. 

********** 

Dana Scully woke suddenly, sitting up in the darkness. One hand instinctively reached for her pistol, resting on the night table just within reach. She had gotten into that habit lately. 

"Scully?" A small, child-like whisper. As her eyes adjusted to the night, she could just make out the image of a man in the doorway; one hand clutched to his t-shirt while the other rubbed nervously on his left leg against the black track pants. 

"Mulder?" She frowned, turning to look at the clock. "Are you okay?" 

"Are you okay?" He repeated back, slowly walking towards her. "I... I had a dream... that you were gone..." The juvenile voice whimpered. "You left me, Scully... they took you away again..." One hand trailed along the blanket until it found her left hand; clutching at it. "You're here and you're okay, right?" 

"I'm fine, Mulder..." She could see his face now, make out the tear-stained face. 

"Can I... can I just stay here for a few minutes?" He panted. His hand grasped hers hard, tight and needy. 

"Sure." Shuffling to one side, she patted the mattress. "Sit here for awhile with me, Mulder. I'm not going anywhere." 

Awkwardly he got up into the bed, still holding her hand. Curling up beside her, he laid his head down in her lap; still taking deep pained breaths. "You were gone... and I was in such a dark place, Scully..." 

Running her free hand through the wet hair at the back of his neck, she began to rock back and forth. "I'm not leaving you, Mulder. Just rest..." 

Eventually his breathing slowed to a regular pace; his hand slipping free of hers as he drifted off to sleep. Still drawing her hand through his hair, Scully put a pillow beside her and closed her eyes. 

*********** 

When she opened them again, she knew it was late. The long shadows cast by the curtains had advanced across her room and over the two of them, draping the couple in an eerie mixture of shades and streaks. Looking at the clock, she sighed. Almost noon again. Mind you, she felt like she had already run a five minute mile with the aches and pains from staying in one spot for so long. 

Lifting her hand from where it sat on the back of Mulder's neck, she began to stroke the small hairs slowly. "Mulder... wake up..." Speaking softly, she ran her fingers along the soft skin. "Time to get up, sleepyhead - we can't stay here all day..." 

"Just one more minute..." The mumbled response sounded more like the Mulder she knew. Wearily he turned his head, facing her now. 

"Ah... I know this sounds rather strange, but what am I doing here?" His surprised expression showed that he wasn't joking. 

"You had a bad dream and asked if you could stay here." Scully smiled, ruffling the hair gently. "You said that you thought I was gone again..." 

"Oh... okay..." Sitting up, he winced as he rotated his arm. "Ow..." Sliding off the bed, he walked towards the door. "I'll start something for breakfast... ah, lunch..." 

She followed him out into the living room and then the kitchen, grabbing the terrycloth robe and wrapping it around her. Silently she watched him set up the coffee maker and then open the refrigerator. "Eggs okay?" 

"Sure - scrambled?" 

"Well, it always ends up that way in the end..." Taking the carton out, he handed her the bread. "Toast duty for you..." 

Sitting at the table a bit later, Scully watched as her partner mopped up the last of the eggs with a thick slab of toast. Chewing it, he noticed her intense gaze. 

"What? Got ketchup on my chin?" He made a swipe at it with a hand. Finding nothing there, he swallowed the last of his food. "What?" 

"Mulder..." Making her fork dance across the plate, she sighed. "Are you afraid of losing me again?" 

Getting to his feet, he picked up the plates and headed for the kitchen. "Scully, I know that I'll lose you one day. Hopefully not for awhile, but I know it'll happen sometime." 

Following him, she stuck her hands in the pockets of her robe; leaning on the wall as she watched him put the dishes in the sink. "You were pretty upset last night." 

Placing his hands on the counter, he leaned forward. "Scully, all my life I've searched for something I'd lost - my sister. Now I find her and she's not what I expected..." 

"Or what you wanted?" She gently prompted. 

He nodded. "Probably that too. If I accept that it was her and that he is her father..." Closing his eyes, he shuddered. "It's not working out for me." 

"Do you think you should have taken the deal?" Moving to stand beside him, she leaned back on the counter. "Gone to work for him?" 

The pain in his eyes as he looked at her caught her off guard for a second. "How can you ask that?" 

"Because you were tempted." She said quietly. "Mulder, if someone offered me the same deal, I'd think about it." 

Turning around, he crossed his arms in front of him. "What if I told you that I did?" 

She shrugged. "I'd expect you to. Give you the cure for my cancer, give you Samantha back... the price would have to be pretty high for that." 

"But he's dead." 

"Missing." She corrected him. "The body hasn't been found yet." 

"Yah." Walking past her, he went into the living room and sat down heavily on the sofa. "That's what scares me." The cushions shifted as she sat down beside him. "That he might come back and ask me again." 

"Do you think he would demand payment again?" The itch at the back of her neck bothered her, but she dared not reach up to scratch it. 

"I don't know." Leaning forward, he clasped his hands together. "I told him that I would kill him if you died. I refused to work for him." 

"It's okay to be tempted, Mulder..." Scully sighed. "I doubt most men would have turned him down. Look at Krycek and the rest of them. He must have made them the same offer and they took it." 

"Dealing with the devil?" A soft grin flashed her way. 

"So to speak." Patting his knee, she got to her feet. "I think we should go to the office today and make sure that you're alive and well for Monday." 

He scowled as if she had sentenced him to extra homework. "Okay..." 

*********** 

The suit felt strange, the dress shirt scratchy against his skin as they walked into the building. Scully let her hand rest lightly on his arm for support, just in case. 

A few heads turned their way, but most of the agents ignored them. The oddity that was the X Files had its own place in the Bureau, and few wanted to breach the walls. 

Assistant Director Skinner suddenly appeared around one corner as they headed for the Records office. Stopping, he stared at the couple. 

"Agent Scully..." He murmured, taking in her healthy appearance. "You're looking much better today." 

"Thank you, sir." She replied, leaning a bit heavier on Mulder's arm. "Still a bit weak, but I'll manage. Be back at work in no time." 

"No time is when you want to be, Agent Scully." A glance at the man holding her up. "And I am holding you responsible for that, Agent Mulder." 

"Yes, sir..." Mulder watched as the tall man disappeared down the hall. "Guess you're stuck with me for awhile yet." 

With a chuckle she motioned him towards the door. 

************ 

"Ah..." The short man adjusted his glasses, staring down at the thick file. "Agent Mulder, you were assumed dead before..." 

"Well, the rumours have been greatly exaggerated." 

Barely a blink. "Agent Mulder, it takes a lot of work to close an agent's file. Even more to reopen it. And I find nothing funny about the amount of paperwork it takes to resume your pay and your benefits twice within a few years." 

Crossing his legs, Mulder assumed a serious face; glancing over at Scully. She put one hand up to cough, but he could see the smile underneath. 

"Now, Agent Mulder - can you prove that you are, in fact, alive?" 

Mulder blinked. "Prove it?" 

The bureaucrat nodded. "Yes. Do you have proof that you are not, in fact, the body that we assumed to be yours in your apartment?" 

"Isn't the fact that I'm sitting here enough?" 

"No." Digging in a drawer, the man pulled out a sheaf of papers. "You need to file these out then and have two witnesses affirm that you are yourself and that you are currently alive." 

"Wait a minute..." Mulder waved a hand. "The investigation proved that the man didn't have my fingerprints. I was accused of murdering him. If they accept that I am me and he is not..." Taking a deep breath, he looked plaintively over at the redhead. "I am me, right?" 

"Last time I looked." Scully added helpfully. 

Adjusting his glasses, the clerk cleared his throat. "Fingerprints can be changed, investigations corrupt. You understand this is new procedure brought in partially because of your last... death..." He peered at Mulder over the tops of his glasses. "That is, if you are... Fox Mulder..." 

Whipping out his wallet, Mulder produced his driver's license. And his badge. "What do those say?" 

The man shrugged. "Could be plastic surgery. You could have assumed his identity." Pushing the pile of papers over to Mulder's side of the desk, he smiled. "In triplicate, please. And co-signed by your superior, AD Skinner as one of the witnesses, obviously. Then we'll be able to start your pay and benefits up again." 

Mulder's head whipped up from where he had been reading the top page. "My pay? You stopped my pay?" 

"Well, Agent Mulder - you were dead." Smiling at Scully, the clerk closed the file. "Please return the papers to me as soon as you can." 

"Scully..." He looked at her with a grimace. "Wanna be a witness?" 

"Don't know..." She grinned. "What's it worth to you?" 

"Name your price..." 

"Well..." Drumming her fingers on her lap, she thought. "A second Resurrection should be worth... another few movies for tonight and another round of Italian food." 

"I'll make spaghetti." 

"Deal. Pass them over." 

********** 

"Skinner didn't look too happy with us." Lying back on the sofa, Scully made a pillow of Mulder's arm as he sat up at one end. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he shifted so that her head lay in his lap. 

"I think he wasn't happy at anything today." Shaking his head, the man laughed. "Least of all some silly paperwork to affirm that I am who I am and not someone else." 

"Well, you can't blame them." She said. "I mean, it must give them fits when we both go into the hospital so often and keep racking up the costs." 

"True." He began to reach for a movie, but suddenly bent down and kissed her on the cheek. "But worth every penny." 

"Hmm..." She stared at him thoughtfully. "Maybe you are not who you used to be, Fox Mulder." 

"Hopefully an improvement." He added. Picking up the cases, he perused them thoughtfully. "So, Brigadoon or My Fair Lady?" 

"Both." She smiled. "And then you can make me dinner." 

"As you wish..." 

************ 

Downtime IV - Day Six (7/8) by Sheryl Martin 

Pulling the blankets away from her face, Scully scowled at the clock radio. 10:00 am. Saturday morning. And she was still in bed. 

Bad routine to get into, Dana. Next you'll be inviting that man outside of your room to share it for the rest of the morning and afternoon and the night. 

Before her mind could register the usual arguments, she got up; donning the robe over her silk pyjamas. Better to think that one over later on, when Mulder wasn't here. 

And the shower water was cold. 

Mulder sat on the couch, a bowl of cereal in one hand as he stared at the television. Spotting Scully, he smiled through a mouthful of corn flakes. 

"Hey, Scully... look at this one!" He gestured at the set with a spoon. "Whatta think, Mulder and Scully - Freelance Police?" 

"I think..." She crossed her arms and stared at him. "That I need to get out of here." 

"You know, alien ducks might not be so farfetched an idea..." He mused, flicking the channels. "But the Tick - now there's a case for intense study..." 

"Mulder, we're going shopping." 

He stopped suddenly, turning slowly to stare at her. A dribble of milk ran down his chin to the dark t-shirt tucked into his jeans. "Shopping?" He squeaked in response. 

"You told my mother you'd keep an eye on me." Turning on her heel, she headed for the bedroom. "And I want to go shopping..." 

"I'd rather be doing paperwork..." Came the grumbled reply as she shut the door. 

********** 

"So what do you think?" Looking critically at herself in the mirror, Scully stared at the man's reflection. 

He shrugged, dipping into the bag of sunflower seeds. "Scully, it's a suit. Like all your other suits. They all look good on you." 

Sighing, she turned around. "I can't believe I went down a size." A shake of her head sent the fiery hair into a flurry of waves. "Not good." 

"No." Mulder nodded in agreement. "I don't like it when you're too thin." He raised one eyebrow, looking at her in the mirror. "Just in case we get stranded out in the woods again..." 

Scowling, the redhead walked back into the change room. Shrugging in mock confusion, Mulder sat down again; digging deeper into the bag of seeds. 

********* 

"How the hell DO you run in these?" Mulder gestured at the high heels as she walked briskly up and down the aisle of the shoe store. 

"Practise." With a smile, she turned and strutted down the corridor again. 

He watched her intently, shaking his head. "Must be one of those 'women' things they teach you in Health Class while we're getting the speeches on VD." 

She looked back over her shoulder at him. "And where were you?" 

He grinned. "Drilling a hole into the girls' change room." 

********** 

"Oh, no..." Skidding to a stop, Mulder leaned on the railing; balancing the three bags he had ended up carrying on the pretence that she wasn't strong enough to carry them herself. 

Scully cocked her head to one side. "What's wrong?" 

"No, no, no..." He repeated, shaking his head again. "I'm not going in there with you..." 

Turning to look at the store, she let out a sigh. "You don't have to come in there if you don't want to, Mulder..." The tone was not unlike a grown adult promising a child that they wouldn't have to go into the stuffy furniture store. "I'm just picking up a new set of pyjamas..." 

"I'll wait out here." He offered quickly, watching her disappear into the lingerie store. Putting the bags down, he moved a bit closer to the large window display; gazing at the models in the skimpy attire. 

"I can't believe I lost all that weight..." Scully grumbled under her breath, sorting through the rack for her size. Mentally she made a note to not tell her mother that fact, since it would definitely bring on cakes and cookies galore. Not that it would be a bad thing, but if she didn't get back to her daily workouts she would end up being the blimp she always worried about back in high school. 

Suddenly she noticed the sales girl at the counter turning to her associate and giggling, one hand held discreetly over her mouth as the pair stared past Scully at something. Turning around with a set of red pyjamas in her hand, Scully looked for the source of the amusement. 

Mulder rapped on the window again, raising his voice. "Yah, Scully... the red diaphanous teddy... that one, over there..." His hand waved at the giggling saleswomen as they watched his antics. "Or maybe something in leather... yah, the Merry Widow over there looks good... get the black stockings for the garter belt, okay?" 

In the mall people were staring as they walked by, the men with a knowing grin on their faces; the women with a blush and a snicker. One of the single men gave Mulder a thumbs-up gesture as he strode by. 

"Hey, Scully... How about the red slinky thing over there?" The yell was loud enough to attract the women inside the store who either slipped behind the racks to chuckle at Scully's predicament or who scowled at the man standing and rapping constantly at the front window. 

"I'll take this, please." She laid down the set of pyjamas on the counter, very aware of the heat in her cheeks. She caught sight of Mulder in a mirror set behind the cash, still waving madly at her and grinning like a Cheshire cat. 

The salesgirl looked at her credit card, recognising the name. "Oh..." She looked up at Scully. "Do you want me to call security or something? If he's really bothering you..." 

"No." The redhead muttered. "I'll take care of him myself." 

"Scully... don't forget the silk panties... you promised me... with the lace, right?" 

She was going to kill him. 

Slowly. 

"So... what did you get me?" He snickered as she strode out, nearly knocking him over. 

"A gag to shut you up." 

"Oooh... you did go for the leather..." 

********* 

The drive home was quiet, unbearably so. Mulder shifted in his seat, feeling the strain. 

"I'm sorry, Scully... but you kind of encouraged me and all." 

Nothing. 

"Scully... come on, you don't go there often. I'm sure they'll forget it by tomorrow." 

Silence. 

"Scully..." A plaintive whine. "Say something." 

"You are incorrigible." 

"Oh. Well, I guess we're communicating, right?" 

Pulling into the parking lot outside of her building, he loaded himself up with the packages; walking just behind her. Catching the door as it nearly slammed him in the face, he carefully deposited all the bags on the couch as the redhead strode into the bathroom. 

"I'll make up some tea, okay?" 

Silence. 

Oh, Mulder... his inner voice muttered. You did it good this time... 

Then he heard it. 

A deep, rolling, straight-from-the-gut peal of laughter followed by another and another. 

Coming from the bathroom. 

He hadn't heard anything so beautiful in his life. Tossing his leather jacket over the side of the chair, he reached for the remote control. 

A few minutes later his partner appeared, wiping her face with a Kleenex. "I swear, Mulder... the next time you do something like that, I will gut you like a fish and hand you over to the students at Quantico." 

He beamed at her. "I love it when you talk dirty." 

Shaking her head, she went into the kitchen. "What are you buying for dinner tonight?" 

"Me?" Twisting around to see her, he raised both eyebrows. "I'm almost dead, remember? Hopefully they've got my paycheck started again or I'll be evicted by the end of the month." 

"I'm surprised you haven't been already." She shot back. "At least here they only think I'm a bit strange for being burgled so often. Between your shootings, poisoned water supplies and the Gunmen showing up, I'm surprised you still have a place." 

"Well, I was thinking of soundproofing the walls..." He grinned. "I'm up for pizza again - considering you didn't have much last time." 

"Because you got it all." She poked her head around the corner. 

"Yes, I do." He winked at her mischievously. Tossing him the menu, she sighed. 

********** 

"So tell me - what do you want to do tomorrow?" Mulder mumbled through a mouthful of cheese and sauce. 

Scully sighed, putting her slice down on the plate. "Ah... I told my mother I'd go to church with her." 

"Oh." He looked down at the cardboard box and then back up. "I'll go back and see if they've changed the locks on my place yet." 

"Mulder..." She wiped her mouth slowly with a napkin. "You're welcome to come along, you know... Mom won't mind and I think she'd like it in a way." 

"No, I don't think so." He shook his head. "I wouldn't feel right - besides, you should spend some time with her before we go dashing back to work. As it is, by the time we get back it'll be almost time to leave for that convention in Florida." 

Taking a large bite, Scully nodded. "I'd almost forgotten about that one." 

"Hey, it'll be a nice drive in the woods, Scully." He beamed. 

"And I remember the last time you said that to me." She shot back, finishing off her piece. 

"And there's basketball on tonight..." He reached for the control. "You know, maybe I should see if there's a vacancy in this building..." 

"Not a chance. I'd blackball you in an instant." 

"Why, don't you want me that close?" 

"Not yet, Mulder..." 

******* 

They lay on the sofa, Mulder sitting up at one end with Scully beside him; her head dropping onto his shoulder as she fought to stay awake. 

"Don't worry, Scully - I'll tell you how it ends." 

"Yah, I know- the Knicks win. Whatever." She forced her eyes open. "I'm gonna go to bed, Mulder." 

"Want some company?" He looked down at her, his face serious. 

Her breath suddenly left her lungs in a rush, her mind whirling. "Ah..." Breaking the lock on his eyes, she shook her head. "I'm going to sleep..." Her words were slurred and weary. 

"Well, the least I can do is help you get there." Getting to his feet slowly, he helped her up. "You look pretty tired - guess today tired you out." 

"Yah..." She mumbled as she staggered along the hallway, feeling his arms wrapped around her waist as he walked behind. "Too much fun..." Her legs tangled up with his once, and she would have pitched forward except for his hold on her. 

"The doctor told you to take it easy." Mulder warned as he gently put her on the edge of the bed. Reaching up, he pulled down the blankets. "I think the shopping trip was a bit much." He stood up, tilting his head to one side with a grin. "Do I get to undress you?" 

"Out, Mulder..." She yawned. "Out..." 

With a pained sigh he complied, closing the door behind him. Walking out to the living room again, he retook the sofa, propping his head up with one hand as he watched the basketball game. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of one shopping bag that hadn't made it into the bedroom. 

With a quick glance back towards the closed door he pulled it close; peering inside. 

The two packages were still wrapped in pink tissue paper; the first obviously the blue pyjamas he had seen her with in the window. 

The second... he didn't know what it was, and he didn't dare open it, but the small bit of red silk poking free of the package made his heart race. 

Pushing the bag back to the opposite side of the couch, he lay his head back on the couch and let out a groan. No way he was going to get to sleep anytime soon now. 

On the other side of the door, Scully chuckled to herself as she wrapped the blankets around her and turned off the lights. 

*********** 

Downtime IV - Day Seven (8/8) by Sheryl Martin 

The buzzer jarred her awake from a deep sleep, her arms flailing as she reached for the off button on the clock radio. 

Seven am. That was disgraceful. 

But it was Sunday. And she had promised her mother. 

With a groan Scully slipped out of the bed, reaching for her robe. Padding her way to the hallway, she spotted Mulder sprawled over the couch, the blanket draped over parts of his lanky body. 

"Mulder..." She stopped at the edge of the couch, noticing that he hadn't bothered to change out of his shirt and jeans from the day before. Must have stayed up all night watching television. 

Mumbling incoherently, he shifted around on the cushions, letting the blanket fall from his waist onto the floor. 

One eyebrow rose on the Enigmatic Dr. Scully. 

The top button of his jeans had come undone at some point in the night, the zipper falling down partway. His right hand was tidily tucked just inside the navy blue boxers, his thumb hooked in the waistband. 

A series of very un-Scully thoughts raced through her mind, most of them scenarios on what had resulted in this particular placement. Fighting them all back for later reference, she reached down and with a deep sigh of willpower pulled the blanket over her partner. 

"I promised Mom..." Humming the tune like a mantra, she headed for the shower. 

Cold water was definitely in order. 

Along with a few extra Hail Marys in penance for this morning's thoughts. 

********** 

Mulder awoke with a start, hearing the water start thrumming through the pipes in the bathroom. Wiping his eyes wearily, he pulled his hand free of his jeans and sat up. 

Getting to his feet, he did up his pants and turned on the coffee maker. He hadn't slept well at all. No thanks to that dammed red silk package sitting in the bag a few feet away from him and the owner down the hallway. 

********* 

Scully appeared a good half-hour later, scrambling out of the bedroom in a dark brown pant suit; fumbling with an earring. "Oh, thanks..." She took the mug of coffee from Mulder with a sigh. 

Sitting back down on the sofa, Mulder scratched the back of his head with a weary groan. "What's so important that you're up this early?" 

"Church." She looked down at the floor and then back up. "Do you think I'm being silly?" 

"Scully, I've never made fun of your beliefs." He protested as she sat down in the chair opposite from her. "If you want to go to church, I'm certainly not going to stop you." 

"I know." She let out a deep sigh. "I just feel so... odd going back. Like I've been on vacation for a few years and came home at the right time." 

He shrugged. "If it's what you want and what you need, well..." Spreading his hands, he grinned. "Just put in a good word for me, okay? Or get your mother to do it - she's got connections." 

"She's been doing it all along, Mulder." Scully said quietly. "She never stopped. For both of us." 

Nodding, the tall man stifled a yawn. "Well, if you're heading out then I'm going back to my apartment - see if I can get that dammed chalk out of my carpet." 

Chuckling, Scully nodded in agreement. "And the blood." She looked carefully at him. "You sure you don't want to come along? Mom wouldn't mind... and I'd help you through the worst of it." 

Getting to his feet, he smiled and shook his head. "Not right now, Scully... but thanks for the offer..." 

"Okay..." She looked at her watch. "Ah... can you lock up when you leave then? I've got to fly..." Grabbing her shoes from their spot on the floor, she noticed the small shopping bag left out from the shopping trip the day before. "Oh..." Picking it up, she walked into the bedroom and put it on the bed. "Forgot that out here last night, I guess." 

"Yah..." Mulder scratched his head again. "Guess you did..." One eyebrow rose as he looked at her. "So what did you buy?" 

"Oh, just this and that..." Pulling on her coat, Scully headed for the door. "And a few things for the future..." She paused. "See you at work tomorrow, then..." 

"Yah..." He waved at her as the door closed. "Tomorrow..." 

********* 

Closing the door behind him, Mulder surveyed the apartment. Same old couch, same old video tapes, same old room... well, except for that large blood stain on his carpet and the chalk outline, of course. 

Sitting down on the couch, he rubbed at the thin line with the toe of his shoe, watching the line blur and blend into the fabric. 

Getting up again, he took off his jacket and tossed it onto the table; lying back down on the couch. Staring up at the ceiling, he noticed that the small hole had been discreetly filled in and the ceiling repainted so well that he wouldn't have ever known that the camera had been there. 

Of course, that probably meant that the others were better-hidden. 

Closing his eyes, he tried not to think of what that meant and drifted back to sleep; the image of red silk waving across his consciousness. 

********* 

"Lovely service, Father." Margaret Scully took the priest's hand and shook it warmly. "Your usual wonderful sermon..." 

Father McKuen smiled, shaking his head. "You're still the best sweet-talker in the parish, Maggie." Taking Dana's hand, he shook it with a smile. "And glad to see you back again, Dana." 

"Well, I'm a bit rusty." The redhead confessed with a smile. "But I think I kept up with most of it." 

"Oh, I'm sure you did." The man laughed. "Don't fret - I'm sure there's plenty of others who are doing the same thing. But I'll see you both next Sunday..." With a last nod and a smile, he turned to the next person waiting to talk to him. 

Margaret took Dana's arm as they headed out to the parking lot, more to have her daughter lean on her than the opposite. "Are you okay?" 

"Yah... I'm fine..." She leaned on the car with a weak grin. "Just pushing it every now and then - but that's the only way I'll get stronger. Besides, Mulder's been taking good care of me." 

"Well, that's what I expected." Her mother huffed. "Especially when he insisted that he take the job instead of me." 

Dana stared at her mother, then nodded. "He was a great help." Putting up her hand, she smiled. "And no, you're not gaining him as a son-in-law yet, so don't even ask." 

Margaret Scully feigned surprise. "Me? Dana Katherine Scully, I'd never assume something that didn't exist..." A sly wink. "And after all, you shouldn't lie on the Sabbath anyway..." 

With a sigh Dana got into the car, reaching for her seat belt. "Let's get you home and then I've got to get back and get ready to go back to work in the morning." 

"Are you ready for that?" Her mother stared at her intently. "Going back to work?" 

Putting the car in gear, Scully smiled. "As ready as I can be." 

********** 

Mulder awoke with a groan, rolling off the sofa as his muscles protested the lack of exercise. Staggering to the computer, he turned it on and logged into his e-mail account; rubbing his eyes wearily as he tried to wake up again. 

Not much - just the usual gossip mill from the mailing lists he subscribed to; a few pieces of information from the LG encoded but already he could tell that they had come up dry on the information he had given them about the Rauch connection; a bit of spam here and there... 

The screen blinked. 

>Dragon wants to chat. 

Smiling, he activated the connection. 

>who's this? 

>dammit, who the hell do you think? 

>and what are you up to? 

>sitting on my butt in Toronto - and they're shipping me out to Vancouver in a few hours for the APEC summit - want an ace in their deck in case anything happens, I guess... 

>saving the world again... 

>at the current exchange rate, I could do Canada for twice what I do in the States... grumble... so, are you home or at Dana's? 

>home... 

>what, she finally threw you out of her bed? 

>I wasn't in her bed... and she didn't throw me out... 

>and that's your story and you're sticking to it, right? 

>right... 

>gryn... well, I've got to go - some nit here wants to check my qualifications... 

>in what? 

>self defence... 

>don't kill him... 

>sigh... well, just 'cause you asked, Mulder... anyway, I'll check in with Dana later on - called her and she wasn't there so I guess she went out... 

>she went to church... I came home... 

>oh... well, so it goes... 

>what do you think about that? 

>well, a wise person once told me that walking close to death makes a person appreciate life a bit more - and maybe in both your cases it's a change for the better, eh? 

>stop being a philosopher and go beat the hell out of this kid... chuckle... 

>agreed... 

>btw, who told you that? 

>ah... let's just say I got it from a pretty reliable source... bye... 

Turning off the screen, Mulder sat back in the chair; tapping his finger against his lips. Looking to one side, he saw the picture of himself and Samantha lying down on the desk. 

Picking it up, he carried it to the other side of the room. An empty space on a bookshelf signalled where it had been previously before a curious detective had probably pulled it down for the information. Putting the framed picture back, he took a step back and stared critically at the single picture sitting in the centre of the empty shelf. 

Walking into the bedroom, he opened up a file and found a recent picture of himself and Scully; taken at some Bureau function. She was smiling, her hand linked around his arm as they both mugged for the camera. 

Digging in a box, he came up with another picture frame - this one had been previously occupied by some old print that had taken his fancy many years ago and had eventually faded away with time. Pulling the paper out, he inserted the picture of the two of them. 

Heading back into the living room he put it beside the one of him and Samantha, balancing it out so that the two pictures sat side by side with equal space on both sides. 

Stepping back again, he stared at it. 

And smiled. 

************ 

Yawning, Scully stared at the television set and picked a piece of lint from her robe. It had been a long day, and part of her had wanted Mulder to be there when she got home to make dinner for her or at least coffee. 

But that was over, at least for a little while. Tomorrow they had work, and soon enough the convention in Florida. And work was very important to her right now, important to them both. 

The Hunt went on. 

The phone rang, distracting her from her thoughts. 

"Scully?" 

She relaxed. "Mulder... what's up?" 

"Oh, just called to see how you were doing... you know, see anything strange at church today and all that..." 

"What, like a miracle?" 

"No, we've had that already." A chuckle. "Are you feeling okay?" 

"Yah... just a bit tired..." She put her hand over her mouth as she yawned. "About ready to pack it in, to tell you the truth..." 

"Want a bedtime story?" 

"Only if it's clean, Mulder..." She warned him, tucking her feet up under her on the couch. 

"Well, how about how I met the boys?" 

"Now there's a story that's got to be extraordinary." Scully put her head down on the cushion, imagining Mulder lying back on his couch; the phone tucked under his chin. His voice hummed into her ear, sending a warm vibration through her body. 

"It started back in 1989..." 

*************** 

this does NOT take place directly after the Downtime series... or have anything to do with my present timeline of stories that I'm trying to keep alongside the show... this is in the future, the near future, far future, whenever... this is not tomorrow... although I wish it were... 

Downtime: Someday... (NC17) by Sheryl Martin 

Dana Scully turned over, feeling the cool night air coming in through the open window. Pulling the blanket up, she covered herself and Fox Mulder, nuzzling into his chest. The warmth comforted her, the thick musky smell of him somehow intoxicating... After another night of watching videos and arguing over basketball, she had somehow ended up offering to let him stay over again -- like he needed encouragement. Lifting her right hand up, she ran her fingers down over his sleeping face, feeling him twitch at her touch. His free left hand had moved to rest on her hip, atop the mens pyjamas she always wore. A soft sigh escaped his lips as she caressed his mouth and chin, feeling the thin stubble under her fingertips. 

Propping her head up on her left hand, Dana stared at his face, a thin beam of moonlight illuminating his features. She chewed on her lip, hearing the steady breathing beside her. Leaning over, she brushed her lips against his, lightly running her tongue over his mouth. 

"Hmm?" His eyes shot open, meeting hers. They stared at each other in the night silence. A gentle smile came to his face. "Scully?" 

She kissed him again, more aggressively this time. His hand went to the back of her head as he rolled onto his back, pulling her atop him as he answered her eagerly. One hand rested on her back, holding her against him. Pulling his mouth away, he ran his tongue down her neck, then back up to her face, savouring her soft gasp of astonishment. 

"Scully..." Fox pulled back. "Ah... I'm only human." He bit his lip. "If you want me to stop, you're going to have to say so now..." Holding his breath, he watched her face. 

"Don't. Stop." She put one hand behind his head, entwining her fingers in his hair. "Someday, Mulder..." An astonished look crossed his face for a second, then he laughed. 

"Dana Scully, I think I love you." He kissed her fiercely, feeling her body press against him. Shifting his legs, he let her settle atop him. 

She felt her skin tremble under his touch; the feeling mirroring the circling of his tongue on her neck as he worked his way back up to her face. She ran her right hand down his side, reaching under his shirt to caress his chest. He gasped into her mouth as she ran her fingers over his nipples; running up and down between them. In response, his hand left her back, moving under to her breasts. Tickling her stomach with a chuckle, he ran a finger over each, feeling them tense at his touch. 

Pulling her mouth free with a sigh, she tugged at his shirt. Ripping it quickly over his head, he slowly began to unbutton her top, kissing her eyelids, her cheeks, her nose, the sides of her mouth... as the last button came free he pulled her against him with a groan, his hand slipping under her waistband to stroke her buttocks. She pressed against him, feeling him rise under her. 

"Ah... don't do that..." She chuckled, rubbing her hips against him; watching his jaw clench. "Don't do that..." 

"How about this?" Putting her face to his chest, her tongue darted over his skin, teasing. Her teeth lightly grazed his nipples, tugging at the delicate skin. 

"Right." Grabbing her, Fox swiftly rolled over, pinning her under him face down. "My turn." 

His hands pulled hers to the sides, the fingers entwining as he knelt above her. Dropping his mouth to the back of her neck, he softly kissed the soft red strands, feeling her tremble under him. His lips rested against her left ear as he slid down atop her. 

"I want you, Dana Katherine Scully..." He whispered, looking into her eyes. She shyly smiled, her fingers tight around his. 

Running his face over and through her hair, he released her right hand, reaching down to tug at his sweatpants. A second later, his hand pulled her loose top free; first the right arm, then the left. Tossing the shirt to the side, Fox nibbled at her neck, moving against her slowly. 

She sighed, feeling his weight against her, pressing and eager. An attempt to roll over was thwarted by his refusal to release her. 

"No, not yet." He whispered. "I'm not through playing..." Kissing her earlobe, he reached down to the slender curves of her bottom, sliding his hand under the fabric. One finger traced the line under her, gently tickling and teasing as it moved. She squirmed with a soft gasp, turning to look at him. His hazel eyes overwhelmed hers, the smile contagious. The hand retreated, only to pull down the pyjamas so that his feet could remove them from the bed. One hand went to her face, holding her cheek tenderly as he met her mouth. His fingers continued the gentle exploration of her body. Dana pulled her mouth free with a choked cry as a finger entered her, tentative and hesitant. Her eyes closed as his lips met her neck, his tongue duplicating the actions of his hand. A few minutes later he retreated, staring at her with a playful grin. 

Dana pushed herself up in another attempt to roll over. Laughing, he let her, dropping back down once she had finished. His mouth roamed down to her breasts; licking and nuzzling aggressively as she growled, gripping his hair in her hands. Pulling him back up, she kissed him hard; fighting for domination. His arms slipped back down between them, his hands skimming her skin as he tickled the tender skin at her thighs. Throwing her head back with a soft sigh, she returned the favour, reaching down to gently touch him, savouring his sudden intake of breath as she stroked him. His hands suddenly withdrew, grabbing her own as Fox pulled them up beside them. 

"Don't move..." He groaned at her; his lips meeting hers in a burst of fury. Her tongue duelled hotly with his for a minute; the only motion in their bodies. Dana backed off first, clenching her jaw as he moved against her slowly. Every nerve in her body seemed afire; every touch sending a wave of pleasure through her. She moved her legs apart; hearing his soft cry as he felt the heat beckoning him on. 

Fox suddenly froze, panting slightly. Gently cupping her chin in his palm, he kissed her tenderly. "Speak now..." He bit his tongue as a tremor ran though him, his thoughts racing. 

"Don't. Stop." Dana laughed, leaning forward to kiss him. "Listen to me for once..." 

With a grin and a gasp he slowly entered her, savouring the growl in her throat as she closed her eyes. Holding her tightly, he dropped kisses into her auburn hair, running his lips down along her face to meet her mouth again. Her tongue ran along his lips and teeth as her hands moved along his sides; her body moving with his in unison. Her fingers moved back up to his head, taking a firm hold in his hair. 

He bit his lip hard, feeling the pressure building within him as he desperately tried to pace himself. Dropping his mouth to her neck, he sucked and played at the delicate skin. Dana pulled him back up, her eyes soft and hazy. 

"I want to see you enjoy this." She whispered with a smile. "Don't hide now..." He lunged forward, approaching the edge quickly. His hands went to her back, lifting her up from the bed as he pressed himself into her. Fox groaned, his teeth closing on the skin as he felt the trembling betray her. Dana's hands wrapped around him, her fingers digging into his shoulders as she fought for control. He let loose with a whimper as the skin split under her nails, arousing him even more. She leaned forward, putting her mouth to his ear. 

"Fox..." He shuddered violently, feeling the release shake his body. A second later she sobbed into his neck, gasping for breath as the trembling subsided in her own body. He lay her back down on the mattress, kissing her eyelids tenderly. Gingerly he licked her shoulder where he had broken the skin; the small bite speckled with blood. 

"Sorry." He kissed it reverently, looking back up at her for disapproval. 

"Sorry yourself." Dana traced the gouges on his back. "Marked for life, hmm?" 

"Put your brand on me?" He laughed. "I belong to you now, I guess." 

"And me to you." She whispered back. "Should put something on those cuts..." 

He rolled to the side, taking her with him. "Later. I'm not ready to let you go just yet." Holding her close, he began to stroke her back; feeling her beginning to go slack in his arms. 

"Hmm..." She murmured, trying to stay awake. "Never going to get rid of you." She met his lips softly, falling asleep. "You belong to me." 

"No other way I'd have it." Fox smiled, closing his eyes. 

******************************** 


End file.
